In light of the the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Lake Washington School District Superintendent Dr. Traci Pierce has sent an email out to parents and guardians stating that student and school community safety is “always at the forefront” of their efforts.

In the letter, Pierce said the district does think about the possibility of these types of incidents and prepares for them with response plans that address a range of emergency situations.

“We have lockdown procedures that we practice, as a way to keep intruders from getting into classrooms and other parts of the school,” Pierce wrote. “We have communications tools, both for alerting police of a situation and alerting parents to what has happened and where to go to be reunited with their children. We do drills to prepare for emergencies, whether natural or man made.”

Pierce’s letter also said that the district practiced their parent-reunification procedures in October.

She said the district will encourage schools to review their crisis plans and reinforce school security and campus visitor procedures.

“As part of this effort, we will also reach out to our families and school communities to build greater awareness and knowledge regarding these plans,” Pierce added in the letter.

Pierce also offered suggestions on how to make children feel safe including monitoring the television, maintaining a normal routine, filtering what you say and listening and observing.

Pierce’s letter has also been posted on the LWSD website.