Students, Families, and Staff,
 
What a day! As I’m sure you are now all aware, there was a transit bus accident this morning that caused a power outage in much of our neighborhoods, including many of our schools and district office building. First and foremost, my thoughts are with those who were involved and directly impacted. I will be thinking about them and their families as we wait to hear more about their conditions.

I want to express my gratitude to our school staff who had to pivot and react to the power outage, and whose school day may have looked a little different than planned. To our building leaders and administrative assistants who always problem-solve and communicate with all necessary groups to ensure smooth building operations, thank you.

Our food service teams were quick to make a menu change based on which buildings had power for hot food, and which required sandwich meals. Facilities maintenance crew reacted and provided resources such as bringing generators to buildings where we had students with special accommodations and medical devices. Our transportation team assessed routes, pick-up zones, and walking zones that were impacted with road closures and made alternate plans for all students. Technology team provided troubleshooting to minimize impact to email for communication with staff and families. District office staff aided buildings with alternate dismissal plans to ensure students were picked up and guided to walking routes in the safest way possible.

Our community partners, Ferndale Fire Department, Ferndale Police Department, City of Ferndale, and Puget Sound Energy, as always communicated promptly, constantly and consistently -- supporting our schools where needed. And lastly, our parents, families, and community. You remained patient and flexible while trusting we were keeping your children safe.  

All I can say is WOW! In my short time here, I have seen how creative, and unified our community can be during challenging times, and today was no different. I am incredibly grateful for our entire Ferndale community and I feel so lucky to be a part of it. We truly are stronger together.
 
Thank you,
Kristi