Welcome Back Blair Students - the Heat is On . . .

. . . due to a fire that greeted the upperclass students before the first bell on their first day of school.

Below is the text of a letter that came home from Montgomery Blair HS this afternoon (9/1/2009).

What is omitted from the letter is that the prior school safety/evacuation plan has been discarded because of the new artificial turf. Students previously waited in the stadium during building evacuations, this area is no longer available because of the artificial turf. This was first day of school, and the kids were confused because the procedures had been altered and no one knew.

Also of note - while all Blair parents received robo calls this week concerning the Monday start day for Freshman only and the Back to School Fair last weekend, robodialer isn't available for messages of substance - such as fires and building evacuations.

Thank goodness the kids have cell phones.

Note to all parents of students at schools with artificial turf fields - be sure that your students and the school identify an evacuation plan that can safely accommodate the students and staff before a real emergency.


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The following letter, from Principal Williams, is being distributed to our students this afternoon to provide our parents/guardians with an explanation of the building evacuation this morning, 9/1/09.

September 1, 2009

Dear Parents and Guardians:

I want to share with you information about an event that has affected our school this morning.

At approximately 7:15 A.M., smoke was observed in the area of one of our classrooms. Security personnel immediately pulled the fire alarm, and we safely and promptly exited the building. The Fire Department came and assessed the emergency, which was the air conditioning unit for that classroom. That unit was operating improperly and has been replaced. We were told that it was safe to re-enter the building at approximately 8:15 A.M.

The amount of smoke involved necessitated the closure of one classroom for the rest of the day. Students in the affected classroom were moved to another room and classes resumed as scheduled.

Sincerely,

Darryl L. Williams
Principal