Mail Handling Guidelines
Following the recent incidents in the past several weeks of contaminated mail in various US locations, following are some guidelines for protecting our students and employees. You should be aware that the chance of actually contracting anthrax is statistically minute.
However, first and foremost, no student should handle the mail at all. Questions have been raised regarding the management of parcels, letters, packages, or other items received through the mail. Any employee who handles the mail should wear latex gloves to sort and handle the mail.
If you receive a suspicious package/letter/object, use the following guidelines.
1. Do not panic. Do not open the suspicious package/letter.
Place the package/letter in a secure location away from all other people. If available, place the item in a clear plastic bag (this is NOT critical!). Promptly wash hands and other body surfaces that potentially came in contact with the parcel with soap and water. Leave the area.
2. Contact WCPSS security immediately at 850-1641.
They will respond to the scene to secure the item and coordinate with other appropriate authorities (local police, FBI, SBI, health department) as necessary to perform the necessary risk assessment. If indicated, they will take possession of the parcel for safe transport to appropriate testing and evaluation sites. Because there may be issues of criminal intent involved, chain-of-custody issues are crucial.
Some possible indicators of suspicious packages and letters (from information on the US Post Office website at www.usps.com):
- Excessive postage
- Handwritten or poorly typed addresses
- Incorrect titles
- Title, but no name
- Misspellings of common words
- Oily stains, discolorations, or odor
- No return address
- Excessive weight
- Lopsided or uneven envelope
- Protruding wires or aluminum foil
- Excessive security material such as masking tape, string, etc.
- Visual distractions
- Ticking sound
- Marked with restrictive endorsements; such as, "Personal" or "Confidential"
- Shows a city or state in the postmark that does not match the return address
It is important that we all take necessary precautions and utilize common sense during these trying times.
With respect to possible disruptions at schools due to hoax incidents, we will take all threats of this kind very seriously. The policy violation for students in this scenario is Policy 6420.1, Threat/False Threat which reads, "No student shall make any threat through written or verbal language, sign, or act which conveys a serious expression of intent to cause harm or violence. Furthermore, no student shall make a false threat of harm or violence, even in jest, which causes or is reasonably likely to cause fear or a disruption to school activities."
A serious violation of this policy may result in long-term suspension or expulsion of a student. We will involve law enforcement agencies in the investigation. We will also ask law enforcement and the courts to prosecute anyone responsible for making a threat or perpetrating a hoax, adult or student, to the fullest extent possible under the law.
We will do everything possible to protect the health and well being of our students and our staff. We appreciate your continued support for a safe learning environment for our students.
Bill McNeal, Superintendent