Protecting What Matters Most: Our Children and Our St. Agnes Family

Dear St. Agnes Families,

Blessings!

Every morning, when you entrust your children to St. Agnes Catholic Academy, you place something precious in our care. As your Pastor, I never take that trust for granted. Alongside our commitment to Catholic education and spiritual formation stands a sacred responsibility: protecting our students, faculty, staff, and families.

1. A Commitment We Share

Our security policies are not simply decisions I have made according to my personal preferences. They are the fruit of careful collaboration among our Academy administration, parish leadership, security personnel, maintenance staff, and law enforcement partners. Together, we examine concerns, consider improvements, and make decisions guided by one priority: the well-being of our children.

I am grateful for this dedicated team and proud of the care they bring to their work, often quietly and behind the scenes.

2. Investing in Campus Security

Over the years, St. Agnes has committed significant resources to protecting our campus. Our measures include:

1. Electronic Key Access Control: A FOB system that regulates authorized entry to designated buildings and classrooms.

2. Professional Security Officers: Two guards from Choice One Protection (C1P), supporting campus monitoring and access control.

3. Traffic Barrier Arms: Equipment that helps regulate vehicle access.

4. School Resource Officer: A Key Biscayne Police Department officer on campus, strengthening protection and our partnership with local police.

5. Surveillance Cameras: An integrated system covering strategic areas of the Academy, church, and parish facilities.

6. Fences and Security Gates: Protective barriers around our campus, with ongoing efforts to reinforce them.

7. Single Point of Entry: A designated Academy entrance to better supervise visitors and access.

8. Barcoded Student ID Cards: Identification tools supporting student safety and accountability.

9. VIRTUS Compliance: Required child-protection training and applicable compliance procedures.

10. Archdiocese of Miami Safe Environment Protocols: Policies covering screening, training, child protection, and reporting requirements.

These investments reflect our commitment to providing a safe and welcoming environment. They also remind us that security requires constant evaluation, not a one-time project.

3. Special Care During Academy Masses

Seeing our students gathered around the altar is one of the joys of my priesthood. Their safety during Mass deserves the same attention we give it in classrooms.

For Academy Masses, a Key Biscayne police officer and two security guards are present, while members of our maintenance team circulate around the church perimeter. Parents who wish to attend must register no later than the evening before Mass and upload a valid photo ID.

Church doors close promptly at 9:15 a.m. After that time, routine entry or reentry is not permitted until all students have safely exited. Emergency access and evacuation procedures remain in effect.

I understand that these requirements can sometimes be inconvenient. They are not intended to discourage parents from worshiping with their children. Rather, they help us preserve a prayerful and secure setting for everyone.

4. Your Cooperation Makes a Difference

No security system works as intended unless we all do our part. Please observe arrival and dismissal procedures, use authorized entrances, complete required registrations, and follow directions from Academy staff and security personnel.

I know that busy mornings and unexpected circumstances can test our patience. Still, no personal convenience should take precedence over a child's safety. Our teachers, administrators, guards, police officers, and maintenance workers deserve courtesy and respect. They are serving your families, not placing obstacles before them.

5. Doing Our Best, With Humility

No school, parish, or institution can promise 100 percent security. To suggest otherwise would be neither realistic nor responsible. Risks can never be eliminated entirely, but we can prepare thoughtfully, stay vigilant, listen to concerns, and improve wherever needed.

That is our commitment. We are proud to give our best, while recognizing that there is always more to learn and strengthen.

6. One Family, One Sacred Responsibility

St. Agnes is more than a school beside a church. We are a family of faith. I care deeply about the children who learn here, the teachers who guide them, the staff who serve them, and the parents who trust us.

Jesus says, "Whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me" (Matthew 18:5). Protecting children is therefore more than good administration. It is an expression of our love for Christ.

Thank you for your trust, cooperation, and prayers, especially when decisions may be difficult. We cannot promise a world without risks, but we can promise a community that will never stop working to protect the precious lives entrusted to its care.

May God bless our families, and may our Blessed Mother watch over St. Agnes.

Together, We Are St. Agnes!

With gratitude and prayers,

Fr. jc