This last week, social media was all of a sudden flooded with a letter from the Platte County School District No. 1 which was signed and sent by Superintendent Cory Dziowgo.
The subject of the letter which went out to all “stakeholders” of Platte No. 1 was rather ominous, as it read, “K9 Units at Wheatland Middle School.”
At first glance, it was a bit troubling, but then as you began to read through the letter, it described very carefully what had transpired at Wheatland Middle School as a result of a “tip” that there may be illegal substances that were brought into the school.
Drug-sniffing dogs and police officers from the Platte County Sheriff’s Department. Say it ain’t so! But it was. Now, no mention was given as to whether any “illegal substances” were found or if anyone was arrested or suspended, and if you look a little deeper, you will find that an issue that must be commended is that we have a school district that warrants action “just in case” it’s a real threat.
We have a school district which doesn’t wait until things have gotten out of hand but has followed protocol and steps that are in place should this type of thing happen. It is a message to our children that illegal substances are nothing to sneeze at, nor are they allowed, and there will be action just upon a tip.
With the opioid and fentanyl crisis in America, it is a safeguard. It has a sense of security to parents and families alike that we have a system in place where every “I” is dotted, and every “T” is crossed.
It’s kind of like a fire drill for the officers and school staff members. An exercise like this is one way to find out if the system works in Platte County. Communication was passed to the public; people did their jobs and our children are safe. Kudos to our school district, leaders, teachers and the ones who have been taught, “if you see something, say something.”
The old adage is that it’s better to err on the side of caution, and as a parent and a former educator, I am more than happy to have people go the extra mile to protect my kids and my grandkids.
The letter sent forth from Platte 1 can be seen on their Facebook webpage at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057197239988 Or you may just search Facebook for Platte County School District #1. If you are not a Facebook user, you may request a copy of the letter that went out from the school district by calling 307-322-3175.
