Dear [insert school name] families:

As you may be aware, last year Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) developed our
Circle of Safety as a way to highlight and talk about the many safety and security
measures CMS has in place at the individual, school, district and community levels. As
part of the Circle of Safety, the CMS Police Department (CMSPD) successfully
implemented a safety screening process in randomly selected high schools during the
winter, spring and summer of school year 2018-2019. The purpose of the safety
screenings was to serve as a deterrent for students bringing drugs or weapons to school
or onto school property. Between the beginning of school year 2019-2020 and the
recent winter break, CMSPD again conducted safety screenings in all of our high
schools, with the order of schools again randomly selected. In screening students and
belongings in 24 schools this year, no lethal weapons were found.

We wanted to notify you that safety screenings in our middle schools and in the middle
school grades of our K-8 schools will begin in February, while we continue to conduct
high school screenings. Schools will again be selected at random.

As a reminder, our safety screening process includes students being moved to a

location outside the classroom to proceed through a metal detector. During this time
the drug detection K9 and firearm detection K9 are brought into the classroom by their
handlers to screen the students’ belongings. A team of CMS Security Associates, CMS
Police Department K9 handlers and the CMSPD Chief conduct and oversee each
screening, with assistance from building administrators. Families are notified via
ConnectEd messages when a safety screening begins and again when it is completed.

To help keep students, staff and everyone connected to our schools safe, CMS has a
comprehensive set of measures in place. Safety screenings to help keep weapons and
drugs out of our schools have been added to these measures as a deterrent and
precautionary step. Our goals are to keep weapons and drugs out of schools and to
minimize class time disruption and distractions from teaching and learning during
screenings. Two important things to note about safety screenings at CMS: schools are
selected at random but individual students are never identified for screening. In
addition, the K9s are never in contact with students. The students are removed to a
separate location while the dogs and their handlers conduct their screening.

CMS is always concerned about the safety, security and well-being of students and
staff. The district’s goal is to maintain a safe, secure environment for all students and
teachers in every CMS school. Should you have questions or require additional
information, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

[Principal]