Dear MRUSD Families,
Ensuring that students and staff in the Maple Run School District have a safe educational environment remains one of our top priorities, and as we move into the remainder of the school year, we want to remind you of a few ways to keep our community and schools safe.
Every year, nearly 350 children under the age of 18 in the United States unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else, and 87% of gun deaths in Vermont are suicides. As COVID-19 has changed almost every aspect of our lives, we have to realize the stress and isolation this causes in our children, and take extra steps to ensure their safety and the safety of their peers.
Research has shown that secure firearm storage practices are associated with up to an 85 percent reduction in the risk of self-inflicted and unintentional firearm injuries among children and teens. In order to protect our children from the horrors that often ensue from the misuse of a firearm, we must secure all firearms that may be present in our homes.
In the interest of protecting our community and schools, we urge you to do the following:
Unload - Gun owners should remove ammunition from the firearm, including removing any chambered rounds.
Lock - Unloaded firearms should be secured with a firearm locking device, such as a jacket lock or in a locked location, like a safe or lock box. Locking devices, safes, and lock boxes are equipped with keys, combinations, or biometric technology that limits access.
Separate - Ammunition should be stored separately from the firearm in a secure location.
Storing firearms securely protects any child in the home as well as students throughout the school district and community. You can learn more and download helpful resources including a secure storage fact sheet, talking to your children about guns, and facts and resources on child firearm suicide at BeSMARTforKids.org/resources.
Thank you so much for keeping our community safe.
Sincerely,
Bellows Free Academy & Social Justice Club
MRUSD School Board of Directors
MRUSD Superintendent of Schools