January 27, 2023
Dear SAU 90 Staff and Families,
Our greatest responsibility is to ensure the safety of our schools. This is a district goal and all three
schools have also adopted this as a school goal. As part of our work, prior to the start of the school year,
we conducted a thorough review of the New Hampshire School Preparedness Task Force Report with
the assistance of SAU 21, Sacred Heart, Hampton Police, Hampton Fire and Rescue. Additionally,
Homeland Security conducted a safety audit of all three of our buildings. In September, we held a
meeting for our families where we shared information about the report and what the school is working
on to address safety. Additionally, two other meetings were held this fall - one on suicide prevention
and another with SAU 21 on mental health. These events are important as they help to bring everyone
together where we can have further conversations about these critically important topics. As the
Superintendent, student safety is and continues to be our greatest priority.
We have received some questions regarding an incident that happened at the Marston School on
Thursday afternoon of last week. Specifically, there was a text sent that alleged a potential threat to
another student. Please know that all threats, whether intended or not, are taken very seriously and
followed through on. This includes communication with our Student Resource Officer (SRO)/Hampton
Police Department, parents, school counselors and psychologists, teachers, behaviorists, special
education – if applicable, and administration. Under federal laws, we are unable to share a lot of
information and details due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). With that being
said, we do follow through all channels to determine the intent, credibility, and significance of the
threat. Keeping student safety at the forefront, we then take action to ensure the safety of everyone
involved. While this is an ongoing investigation, at this time we have identified all students involved and
are confident that there is no credible threat to the school community.
By working collaboratively with everyone - principals, teachers, psychologists, case managers, SRO's, and
families, we will be more successful in ensuring the safety of everyone. As always, we encourage all our
students and all members of our school community, if they see or hear something that could potentially
jeopardize the safety of our school community, they should say something. As part of our ongoing
safety talks with our students, it is important that all students feel they have a trusted adult they can
speak to. Please continue to encourage the following: If you or your child see/hear something – say
something to a trusted adult; ask your child who their trusted adults are in school and at home; and
finally, continue to reach out to the schools or me, if you have any questions. For your information, I
can be reached at lcosta@sau90.org or 603-926-4560, ext. 304. We will continue to review our physical
structures, plans, and procedures so that we can be sure that we are doing everything we can to
improve our safety procedures and practices.
We continue to find ways to promote social emotional learning and the well-being of our students and
staff. We are committed to making the world a better place by creating safe, joyful, and engaging
classrooms and school communities. As part of our work, we encourage respect and kindness so that
everyone feels welcomed so they can do their best. To that end, we encourage all our families to
consider participating in the Great Kindness Challenge. We know that Marston School participates in
this yearly event, however, we challenge everyone to make this not just a weekly event in January but a
daily way of being. By being kind to others, we in turn lift up ourselves and make the world a better
place for all! Please see the attached flyer for further ideas!
At this time, we have an opening in our food service department at Marston School. This position is 25-
hours/week. There is some flexibility with the hours and the wage is competitive. If you are interested
or would like more information, please reach out to our School Nutrition Director, Mary Borg at 603-
926-9826 or by email at mborg@sau90.org.
Remember, next Wednesday is an early release for student with Hampton Academy dismissing at 11:30
AM and Marston and Centre School dismissing at 12:00 noon. Wishing everyone a wonderful winter
weekend ahead.
Warmly,
Dr. Lois B. Costa
Superintendent of SAU 90
Great Kindness Challenge: https://thegreatkindnesschallenge.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/GKC-Checklist-FE-English-2022.pdf
Shark News 1.27.23