From the Dean: Reflecting on Wednesday

Dear members of the Mary Frances Early College of Education community,

Wednesday’s tragic events at Apalachee High School affected many members of our community in different ways. In addition to the students who were at the high school and in other Barrow County schools and the faculty and staff members who work with them, we have staff members, faculty members, and students who live or whose family members live in Barrow County; parents and their children experiencing stress and trauma regardless of the school they attend; students who are from Barrow County; alumni of our programs who teach at Apalachee; and more. Each of us responds differently and on a different timeline to this kind of trauma, so it is important that we extend grace to one another in the days and weeks ahead as we continue to process what has happened.

I am thankful that the five MFECOE students who were at Apalachee High School on Wednesday are safe, and I am grateful for the actions of the faculty and staff members who worked tirelessly to locate the students and connect them to support services. I appreciate the support of Beau Seagraves, associate vice president for student well-being, and two members of the CAPS team who spent Wednesday afternoon in Aderhold Hall supporting faculty, staff, students, and working with College leaders to make plans for continued support and communication. I want to particularly thank Sara Kajder and her team for quickly ascertaining which students were at Apalachee High School and how many additional students were in placements in Barrow County Schools that day and communicating with program coordinators throughout the day. Stacey Neuharth- Pritchett also provided excellent leadership on many fronts throughout the last few days, including getting support services on site and preparing communications for staff, faculty, and students. It truly took an all hands on deck approach to respond to this situation, and countless other individuals deserve thanks for the roles they played this week. Once again, I am reminded of the ways in which our College is truly a community that cares for one another in tangible ways.

In addition to the resources that were shared on Wednesday in COEfyi, Student Care and Outreach prepared the attached document to assist those who want support in talking with youth about this or other traumatic events. Barrow County has shared two related resources from the the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the National Association of School Psychologists.

At this time, we are focused on supporting our students, staff, and faculty members, but in the coming weeks, we will engage the UGA Office of Emergency Preparedness to help us debrief our response to Wednesday’s events to identify ways we can improve our training, communication, and support of all members of our community should future events occur. We will share proposed changes with internal stakeholders and our school partners for feedback.

Again, I am grateful to all who have played a role in our response this week and for the many things you will continue to do in the weeks ahead to support one another.

Denise A. Spangler
Dean