Date: 5/31/2022
As your mayor, as the father of 10-year-old twins and as a fellow human being, I share your grief and horror and heartbreak at the unspeakable murders yesterday (May 24) at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
I also share your unease when you send your children off to school each morning. As Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said yesterday, “Nowhere else do little kids go to school thinking that they might be shot that day.”
Holyoke Schools Superintendent Anthony Soto has sent a letter to Holyoke Public Schools staff and parents describing in detail the security measures in place at our schools that are designed to keep our children, teachers and staff safe. I am only moderately familiar with these measures from my visits to our public schools to read to classes or participate in classes studying local government. That is about to change.
Starting next week, in collaboration with Superintendent Soto, I am going to visit every school in Holyoke – public, private, charter and Catholic. I’m going to confer with each school’s crisis coordinator so that I may gain a more intimate knowledge of the workings of school security protocols and, as a result, better assist and support Superintendent Soto’s efforts to make our schools even more safe and secure, so that kids can be kids.
Thank you. God bless the children.
Mayor Joshua Garcia
Holyoke
