Murphy Principal Responds to Friday's Lockdown

Several people have had questions following Friday's lockdown at Branford's Murphy School, asking for more details on the incident. Several other questioned the timing of the AlertNow email that was sent to parents at 2:21 p.m. and why there was not a phone call explaining the incident. 

Anthony Buono, principal of Murphy School, sent the following email to parents today just before noon, explaining the protocol that he, the staff and the police department followed and the timing of the AlertNow email.

Buono acknowledged that some children may have questions about Friday's lockdown and the staff is prepared to answer questions about the incident and "reiterating that we are safe at Mary T. Murphy School and that lock-downs are one of our safety procedures."

Here is the email in its entirety:

I am happy to report that Friday's lock-down went exactly as we had prepared and practiced.  The collaboration and communication between the Branford Police and school personnel was timely and efficient.  At about a quarter past noon, we were informed that the police were called to a nearby neighborhood. At that time, they were still assessing the situation and we went into lock-down as a precautionary measure. Within minutes, members of the Branford police arrived at Murphy School to assist. Once the situation was fully evaluated by the Branford Police Department, and we were assured that that the students and staff were not at risk, the lock-down was concluded. After updating our staff and helping to assist with students and scheduling, I emailed all of you via our Alert Now system.

The professional of our staff and care for students during this event was exemplary. However, I anticipate children will come to school with questions and that some will have heightened anxiety. Please be assured that Murphy's mental health professionals and I will be collaborating with the rest of our staff to support students and provide for a smooth return to school. For students that have questions, we will be restating that the police were called to a nearby neighborhood and because they were unsure as to exactly what was happening, and we went into lock-down as a safety measure. Once the police informed us that everything was okay we continued our normal day.

We will also be reiterating that we are safe at Mary T. Murphy School and that lock-downs are one of our safety procedures. You can help by doing the same and also by reminding your children that we have a number of safety measures at Murphy School: doors are locked, there is a buzz-in system with a security camera, and visitors stop at the main office to sign in.

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Did your children show concern about Friday's lockdown? Did you receive the AlertNow email?