Safety in Our Jewish Day Schools

When a shooting had been reported at the Embassy Suites hotel in Beachwood on April 20, many buildings within the city immediately went into lockdown. For parents with children in schools nearby a shooting, this can be an especially stressful time.

For Cindy Chaiten’s daughter, an 8th grader Mandel Jewish Day School, a Federation beneficiary agency, three simple words in a family group text kept her calm – “Security is here.”

“When I saw the text from my daughter that she could see JFC Security vehicles outside the school, I immediately was able to take a deep breath again,” said Cindy. “Not only because I knew that JFC Security was there, but because I knew how safe she felt because they were there.” Over the years, Jewish day school students in Cleveland have made close connections with local law enforcement officers that are assigned to their schools. “JFC Security and local law enforcement has become a normal part of students’ and parents’ lives,” Cindy said. “Everyone knows the officers by name, and they’re embedded into the culture of the school. Our kids understand the value that JFC Security provides for them – that it’s their job to protect them in these kinds of situations, and it’s very comforting for all of us to know that.”

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