As crises continue to play out in cities across the country, safety is a primary concern for us all. To make sure our policies are continuously improving, Niles Community Schools District has been meeting regularly  with local emergency personnel to keep students safe in school and prepare for crisis situations.

As I’ve said before, school safety relies on the efforts of the entire community to be succesful. To keep the community at the center of the conversation, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28 at Niles High School, we will host Partners in Safety: A Community Townhall along with Brandywine Community Schools, Buchanan Community Schools, the Niles Police Department and other key emergency personnel.

Whether you’re a student, a parent or a concerned citizen, I encourage you to attend this event and participate in our discussion about crisis preparedness efforts underway at area schools and across the community. We will also use this opportunity to talk openly about what we can do collectively to ensure our children’s safety.

The world we live in is more connected than ever before, and any crisis that affects our students is a crisis we must be prepared to respond to as a community. Issues are no longer limited to the walls of the building in which they take place, and we must talk openly about crisis situations and prevention in order to stop the next crisis in its tracks.

I am pleased to see the continued partnership of area school districts, law enforcement and community members on issues like this one, and I hope this conversation serves as just the beginning of an ongoing discussion about our shared work to prevent and prepare for crises in our community.

In crises large and small, the impact on the community can be massive. Please join us in this shared work to ensure the continued safety and well-being of our community.

Dr. Dan Applegate is the superintendent of Niles Community Schools.