Superintendent
George Joseph
gjoseph@kentschools.net
330.676.7610

Secretary, Superintendent’s Office 
Michelle McDowell
mmcdowell@kentschools.net
330.676.7610

NEWS

To the Kent community:

The Jackson Local School tragedy and the Parkland, Florida school shooting create questions on whether it is safe to send our kids to school. The incidents of violence in schools today are extremely frightening, and we extend our hearts to those students and families touched by this violence.

Please know that safety of our students will always remain first in the Kent City Schools. Our school district has a strong positive working relationship with our safety forces in the City of Kent, including the police, EMS and fire department.

We have collaborated with safety experts to help guide and create crisis planning for lockdown procedures, as well as staff training—all part of the A.L.I.C.E program. You can find more information at www.alicetraining.com. Our students and staff regularly practice drills in each of our buildings, as it is vitally important that our students and staff understand these emergency procedures and processes.

Kent students, staff and families are some of the best resources to help prevent school violence. Please talk with your child and encourage him or her to have the courage to SAY SOMETHING if they see or hear anything that could jeopardize the safety of our students.

The Kent City Schools has the responsibility of not only keeping students and staff physically safe, but we also continually address the emotional needs of the whole child. This is a high priority for our district. We are now in the second year of implementation of the Red Flags approach to mental health and wellbeing. Additionally, we are starting a new pilot program this semester with our ninth grade health classes. This collaboration with Kent State University and Akron Children’s Hospital addresses the social emotional needs of students. Interventions take place right at school, rather than using a referral process. This pilot is grant-funded for three years and will eventually extend to students from fifth to twelfth grades.

Thank you for your continued support of the Kent City Schools. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 330-676-7610 or email me at gjoseph@kentschools.net.

Sincerely,

George J. Joseph
Superintendent
Kent City Schools