Letter to our Community

Dear Peabody Public Schools Community,

I am writing to you at the close of an incredibly difficult week, as our community has come together to mourn
the tragic death of one of our middle school students

Our entire community is grieving. When this level of immeasurable tragedy strikes, it is impossible to try and
make sense out of it as we work through grief and support one another. As families, students, teachers, staff,
and the community at-large begin to process the grief in the coming days and weeks, it is critical for our
community to come together and continue to support one another. I am grateful that is what happened here in
Peabody this week, and as our students depart for the long weekend, I wanted to acknowledge the multitude of
support shown to us from all over.

Over the course of the week, Peabody has received the support and resources of our neighbors and friends
from throughout the North Shore. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the work of the Northeastern
Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council STARS team. The resources and professionals brought to our city
were a tremendous help during a time when even our own well-trained staff was experiencing and processing
this loss. We appreciate the support of our Police Chief, Tom Griffin, and School Resource Officers Eric Ricci
and Andy Long who, along with their comfort dogs Ella and Max, were joined by more than a dozen loving
therapy dogs ready to provide comfort to our students and staff. We are also incredibly thankful for our
counselors and nurses from across the district who provided immediate support to students and staff at the
Higgins this week while also supporting their individual schools. In addition, our staff collaborated with the
STARS team who continue to serve as a tremendous resource for our community in this time of need.

As educators, we often have to remind ourselves that we have Peabody’s children for only a small percentage of
the day. We rely on our families to work alongside us, especially at a time like this. We recognize with gratitude
the support and partnership of our school district’s families who have supported their children – and one
another – during this very difficult time. Thank you.

Finally, I want to recognize our faculty and staff for their compassion for our families and students. Students
look to teachers as pillars of support as the teachers themselves are grieving inside.

Please know that we are planning a community meeting around mental health, at the appropriate time, and I
expect that it will be an open and safe environment. While this meeting is still very much in the planning
stages, what I can share with you today is that we will partner with other community leaders to ensure a well
planned and thoughtful event that will include resources for families. We are also working with our leaders in
city government, including the Peabody Department of Health and Human Services, to guide our next steps.
We will be in touch in the coming days with more information. For more resources visit our website HERE.

Thank you for your continued compassion and support. I wish you a safe Memorial Day Weekend.

Josh Vadala
Superintendent of Schools

Categorized in: District, Superintendent