Syosset Schools Conduct Lockdown Drills

Syosset School District conducted lockdown drills at the secondary schools Monday.

According to the district website, secondary schools conducted practice lockdowns "as part of their building safety drills" on Monday. All district elementary schools will also conduct drills on Tuesday.

Following the tragic elementary school shooting that resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six adults, the district offered heartfelt condolences for the "unthinkable situation" facing Newtown, Conn.

In a letter to the Newtown community, Superintendent Carole Hankin wrote:

The Board of Education and the entire Syosset community express our deepest condolences for the tragedy that occurred in your school district at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  We cannot put into words the sorrow our district feels for your loss… Our sympathies are and will continue to be with you, your community and everyone affected in Newtown, Connecticut.

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"It is an unthinkable situation and our thoughts and prayers are with all involved," Hankin wrote in a letter to the Syosset community.

Districts in the Syosset area have offered condolences and psychological support to their residents. School psychologists in the Syosset district will be available to speak with and support parents and students in need after the tragedy, according to the letter. The Board of Education, faculty, and staff will be working to maintain a sense of normalcy within the schools, the letter continued.

Addressing safety concerns, the letter said the district has consulted with an FBI expert in the past and implemented their suggested security practices throughout the schools.

"The safety of our students is a top priority in Syosset and we will continue to evaluate our security measures and procedures to ensure the utmost protection and to promote a safe learning and working environment," said the letter.

Nassau County Police announced they would be "intensifying" school patrols county-wide in the wake of the Newtown tragedy, an officer told Patch.