博主注解：二宝的一位同学，昨晚去过今天发生枪击案的这家商店买东西。她说，昨晚她和今天遇难的一位受害者说过话。今天这个孩子看到受害者的照片后，心痛的无法描述。美国学校对孩子们及时的心理安慰，值得表扬。

Special Message to Families: Tragedy at the Mall in Columbia

Dear HCPSS families,
In the wake of today’s tragedy at the Mall in Columbia, my heart goes out to the victims, their families, and all in our great community who were in the mall throughout this crisis. I am grateful to the Howard County government and Police Department for their responsiveness to this tragedy. Our police department was expedient, controlled the situation and communicated throughout the day to keep us all informed.   
The impact on our community will unfold in the coming days and weeks. School system staff are preparing to assist students in need of support as they return to school on Monday. School administrators, Student Services Teams, and other staff members will have developmentally appropriate resources to use in helping children who are upset as a result of this traumatic event.   Additional resources will be posted to the HCPSS website for parents and community members.
We recognize that our students and staff are impacted by this tragic event in a variety of ways. Students, families, and staff members may have been at the Mall in Columbia when this shooting occurred. Others may have heard about this upsetting news via news or social media. The following tips may be helpful for parents/guardians as they support their children.
Assure children they are safe.
Make time to talk to your children and allow them to talk about their feelings and reactions to this upsetting news. Some children may prefer to express their feelings through writing or artwork.
Validate their feelings and reactions as normal responses to a traumatic event.
Keep your explanations developmentally appropriate.
Review strategies for staying safe at home and in the community.
Monitor the emotional status of your children over the coming days. Changes in a child’s behavior, appetite, or sleep patterns may be signs that he or she is having difficulty coping.
Limit the amount of time children spend watching television coverage of this event. Be aware that older children are being exposed to the tragedy every time they go on the Internet and social media sites.
As older children discuss these events on social media sites, they may be exposed to rumors and detailed information about this tragedy. Please remind your child that social media posts often contain unconfirmed information and consider monitoring their activity on these sites.
Thank you for your cooperation as we work together to support our students during this difficult time.
Sincerely,
https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/TrmH17Ig59To6RmaYv44i9rRg0ECpg58RP8VoowIw2a-yinIKWlr0FCBAoW3ot7gd0fW_zyLqngcmifjCz05lLVRyu3iJisArDOlI0ZgFNckipoXhA=s0-d-e1-ft#https://www.hcpssnews.com/upload/HCPSS/FooseSignature250x41.gif
Dr. Renee A. Foose
Superintendent