Benton Harbor Area Schools

Dear Parents and Guardians, Benton Harbor Area Schools(BHAS) is committed to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all of our students. We affirm that commitment by notifying parents of events that affect our school or community safety as we work in partnership to support the well-being of our students. Today, we’re writing to clarify a situation that occurred at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School. The BHAS administration was made aware of a mixup of students at dismissal today. The student was picked up by a neighbor but has since been reunited with their family. Currently, no child is missing from BHAS. At BHAS, the safety of our students is our utmost priority. As the Superintendent of Benton Harbor Area Schools, I want to assure you that we take all precautions to keep our students safe and secure. Please contact me if you have additional concerns about this incident. Thank you for supporting our students and school. Sincerely, Dr. Kelvin Butts Superintendent Benton Harbor Area Schools Web: www.bhas.org Office: (269) 605 1000

The BHAS Board of Education is holding a board meeting on September 24th, in the Benton Harbor High School Library. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. and will also be live-streamed on Zoom. You are invited to join using the following link: http://bit.ly/43hSJ3w

Are you ready for flu season? If you haven’t had your flu shot yet, please call (269) 605-1277 and get it done at the Benton Harbor Student Health Center. The center is located behind the Benton Harbor High School. The flu shot is the best way to prevent falling severely ill this season! They provide this service to all school-aged children!

We’re so excited to launch our new peer mediation program at FPMS and BHHS! This initiative will provide students with a safe and supportive space to resolve conflicts peacefully, build empathy and communication, and create a more positive school environment. We hope to reduce bullying, improve school climate, and enhance student well-being overall by empowering our students to mediate their own conflicts. 🤝

We're creating a Master Facilities Plan for Benton Harbor Area Schools, and your voice matters! We need your feedback to identify needs and create a better learning environment for our students. Click the link to take the short, anonymous survey (5 minutes): https://bit.ly/3XCZ2Ol Share this survey! Help spread the word to friends, family, and everyone in the Benton Harbor community.

Parents are invited to come out tomorrow to MLKJ's Back to School Night! This is a great opportunity for parents to engage with staff and learn about the exciting things happening at their child's school. See you there! #TigerNation

On September 18-19, our schools will participate in free vision screenings provided by the Lions Michigan Project KidSight program. MLK, DEC, and FPE will participate on Wednesday, September 18th. FPMS and BHHS will participate on Thursday, September 19th. If you do not want your child to participate in the vision screening, please contact their school's main office to opt out before the screening date.

Children who are chronically absent in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the third grade. Students who cannot read at grade level by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school. Let's make sure all students are present and ready to learn! #AttendanceAwarenessMonth

BHAS will resume normal operations tomorrow, September 16. Social workers will be available at Benton Harbor High School for students or staff who may need additional support. We look forward to welcoming our students back tomorrow!

Dear Parents and Guardians, Benton Harbor Area Schools(BHAS) is committed to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all of our students. We affirm that commitment by notifying parents of events that affect our school or community safety as we work in partnership to support the well-being of our students. The Benton Harbor Area Schools administration was made aware of multiple physical altercations that took place at Benton Harbor High School. We immediately notified the Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety, and they are currently investigating the situation. Out of the abundance of safety, Benton Harbor High School was placed on a hard lockdown and students were carefully dismissed. The safety and security of our students and staff remains our top priority. Based on the available information, there is no credible reason to believe there is an imminent danger to our schools. We will continue to work closely with law enforcement throughout this investigation to ensure the safety of our district. School operations will continue as scheduled. If the situation changes, we will provide further updates. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we navigate the situation. At BHAS, the safety of our students is our utmost priority. As the Superintendent of Benton Harbor Area Schools, I want to assure you that we take all precautions to keep our students safe and secure. Please contact me if you have additional concerns about this incident. Thank you for supporting our students and school. Sincerely, Dr. Kelvin Butts Superintendent Benton Harbor Area Schools Web: www.bhas.org Office: (269) 605 1000

There is currently no active shooter situation at our schools. The safety of our students and staff is our utmost priority. We will provide more information as it becomes available. Thank you for your patience.

We were made aware of multiple physical altercations that took place at Benton Harbor High School. Police were notified immediately, and out of an abundance of safety, Benton Harbor High School was placed on a hard lockdown. Students were then carefully dismissed. There was never an active shooter situation at any of our schools. Recent community events are impacting our school environment. To ensure the safety of our students and staff, we will be closing school district-wide tomorrow for students only. All staff should report to work at their normal time. We will use this time without students to thoroughly investigate the situation at the high school and other recent events in order to implement measures to prevent future disruptions caused by heightened tensions in the community. Sincerely, Dr. Kelvin Butts Superintendent Benton Harbor Area Schools Web: www.bhas.org Office: (269) 605 1000

Each day that a student is absent affects their growth, both inside and outside of the classroom. We want all of our students to have the necessary tools to become tomorrow's leaders! Make sure they are present daily! Check out our website for more information about BHAS's Attendance Expectations here: https://bhas.org/attendance

Your input is crucial! Help us understand the needs and priorities of our community by taking our survey. Your feedback will create a better learning environment for our students as we create a facilities master plan for Benton Harbor Area Schools. The survey will take about five minutes to complete. Take the survey now at https://bit.ly/3XCZ2Ol.

The BHAS Board of Education is holding a board meeting on September 11th, in the Benton Harbor High School Library. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. and will also be live-streamed on Zoom. You are invited to join using the following link: http://bit.ly/43hSJ3w

🚨Important Information🚨 Fair Plain Middle School will have an early dismissal at 1 p.m. Please call the main office for any questions at (269) 605-1400.

Friendly reminder to all BHAS families, Wednesday, September 11th will be our first early release day. Elementary level students will be dismissed at 12pm. Secondary level students will be dismissed at 11am.

Attendance is crucial to the academic success of our students! September is Attendance Awareness Month, so stay tuned for more information highlighting the importance of students being present everyday. Check out our website for more specifics about our attendance policy: https://www.bhas.org/attendance

Thank you to all of the families that joined our FPMS staff for their Pop Out with the Principal! So grateful for these opportunities to build long lasting relationships with our families to ensure the success of our students together! #TigerPride #ItTakesaVillage #PopOut

Friendly reminder to all BHAS families: There is no school tomorrow, August 30th and Monday, September 2nd. Classes will resume on Tuesday, September 3rd. Have a great and safe weekend!