SM-FC School Superintendent Responds to Connecticut Shooting

San Mateo and Foster City police officers were on hand at local schools Friday following a devastating massacre at an elementary school in Connecticut that shocked the entire nation.

San Mateo-Foster City School District Superintendent Dr. Cynthia Simms said she was "deeply troubled" to hear of the shooting Friday morning.

"My heart goes out to the community and the families of the victims," Simms said in a statement.

The mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School Friday morning horrified the nation and left parents questioning how they can protect their children.

Twenty-seven people were killed—the majority of them children between the ages of 5 and 10—at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. The violence is the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.

Simms said police officers went to campuses Friday to provide support to students, teachers and administrators.

"[Police] will have an increased presence in our communities throughout the day and evening," Simms said.

"While there is no indication that this is anything but an isolated incident, we take this opportunity to remind our families that we conduct regular drills, including those for a building lockdown, and that we have a check-in process for all visitors to the campus," she said.

"This is a stark reminder of the importance of our safety procedures and our check-in processes for all visitors to campuses. The San Mateo-Foster City School District has been working closely with our police departments to review and assess security measures on each school site and have very sound procedures and protocols in. Student safety and school security is our highest priority. As we will learn more details in the hours and days ahead and we will discuss and debrief with administrators and staff act accordingly," she said.

Read more about the Connecticut shooting:

Rep. Speier: Connecticut Shooting an 'Unspeakable Tragedy'

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