Mt. Diablo School Superintendent Delivers Message To Parents

It's the questions parents will ask themselves after a horrifying incident such as the shooting Friday morning at a Connecticut elementary school.

How can I protect my children? Are they safe at school?

Twenty-seven people were killed — the majority of them children between the ages of 5 and 10 — at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. The violence is the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.

Some security measures were in place at Sandy Hook.

The school's doors are locked at 9:30 a.m. and visitors are required to sign in, according to the school's website.

When the violence erupted Friday morning, the school went on "lockdown," according to media reports. That means teachers and staff locked students inside classrooms rather than risk evacuation.

In response to the shooting and the understandable concerns, Mt. Diablo Unified School District Superintendent Steven Lawrence sent out a recorded message to the homes of parents on Friday.

In it, Lawrence said "our thoughts and prayers go out" to the victims as well as the members of the Sandy Hook Elementary School community.

Lawrence assured parents every school in the district has a site safety plan and measures are taken to minimize the risk of a stranger coming on campus. Among the measures are school doors being locked after classes start and visitors being required to go through the office to get on campus.

Lawrence said there is a link on the district website for parents who are seeking resources to help them or their children cope with the tragedy.