Bellefonte Area High School

830 East Bishop Street

Bellefonte, PA 16823
Telephone: (814) 355-4833 Fax: (814) 353-5320 
 
Mr. Michael Fedisson, Principal 
Mr. Daniel Park, Vice-Principal 
Mrs. Rebecca Michaels, Vice-Principal

 
March 5, 2018

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We would like to take this opportunity to reach out regarding the tragic events that recently occured at
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. It is natural for all of us to feel worried
when horrific events such as this occur. We at BAHS and BASD take the safety of our students and staff
seriously and are constantly working to keep our schools as secure as possible. Safety is our top priority.

In the past weeks, there has been a movement for students and school staff across the country to walk out
of school. The National School Walkout calls for students and staff to walk out of school on March 14th
at 10 A.M. for 17 minutes to honor the 17 victims who lost their lives in Parkland. We understand that
some students at BAHS may consider participating in this event.

While we appreciate the calling of this movement, having students walk out of school does present
supervision and safety concerns. Therefore, BAHS will provide a safe location within the school on
March 14th for students that wish to assemble and communicate their ideas. If they so choose, they will
have the opportunity to spend that time texting, emailing, and calling their legislators. We also want to
honor the lives of the 17 students and staff of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School by encouraging
students to make positive connections with the slogan, “What’s your 17?” We will invite students to
make 17 new friends, say a kind word to 17 people, perform 17 acts of kindness--find 17 ways to help
others.

For students that choose to exit the building (there will be a designated area for them on campus), they
will be held accountable to the school’s disciplinary code of conduct. Students will receive detention(s)
or suspension(s) based on their actions and the guidelines within the code of conduct. Additional security
will be present to help ensure student safety.

Events such as the one in Parkland affect all of us who come to our school each day. We understand the
need for change and the need to keep everyone safe. As always, thank you for your time and your support
of our students and staff.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Fedisson, Principal Michelle Saylor, Ed. D., Superintendent

An Equal Opportunity Employer www.basd.net