The district would like to express our sympathy for the victims and their families and empathy for the citizens and our school counterparts in Newtown, Connecticut. 

The Dakota School District stresses the safety and welfare of our students and it is the top priority in our school district, and—while there is no plan that can totally prevent a random act of senseless violence like this—our district has a school safety plan in place that has been reviewed by faculty, administration and local law enforcement authorities and is practiced by faculty and staff.  There are always lessons learned from each incident and as those emerge, the district will review and implement those lessons learned as appropriate.  If our students have questions or are having problems in light of this tragic event, the district Social Worker will be available.