May 25, 2022
Dear District 14 Community,
Our hearts are with our Texan brothers and sisters. The tragedy at Robb Elementary School is the 27th
shooting that’s taken place at a K-12 school or college or university per the Violence Project. During my own
time of reflection, I have leaned into a timeless message from one of the most prolific leaders and orators our
country has ever known, “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding. Darkness
cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
We stand by the Buffalo community, Oak Creek Wisconsin community, Dallas community, Charleston, South
Carolina community, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania community, El Paso Texas community, Jersey City community,
Poway California community and all communities where hate and harm affected innocent people including our
precious children. As the Superintendent, I am most concerned about the safety and wellness of our own
community affected by this type of gun violence and any type of violence in general. Please know we take
every measure to protect our children from any harm at or around our 26 schools. We, the District 14
community, will continue to keep our Borough Safety Director and central partners informed during times of
need and crisis. Our Building Response Teams (BRT) are trained to respond to matters of concern. In addition,
our school-based support team, and social emotional teams in each school as well as community partners are a
major support to our community. Please continue to stand in solidarity with our community.
District 14 consisting of 26 schools will continue to follow all Chancellors Regulations including A-412, A411 (safety/de-escalation) and the supporting policies that provide our schools with guidance. We commit to
ensuring our staff in schools including teachers, paras, counselors, social workers, therapists, and support staff
will provide supports by hosting discussion circles, working closely with classes, engaging in the arts as
expression, small groups and working with students individually if additional support is needed. There will
also be similar support for our staff orchestrated by our Principals and Assistant Principals of our 26
schools. As a rich diverse community, we must continue to stand in unison against any form of violence or
hate. As you know, we pride ourselves on embracing all people, all cultures, all genders, all beliefs and all
children. We stand by a simple concept: Connecting hearts and minds by building bridges. During this
challenging time in our society between school shootings, COVID, hate crimes, Ukraine, and the continuous
gun violence in our country it has been challenging for all of us.
We will not tolerate any form of hate in our district consisting of 10,793 students and 26 schools. As you may
know our district spans from Bedford Stuyvesant to Greenpoint to Bushwick to Williamsburg. As a
community continue to take time to talk with one another, get to know your neighbor without reservation and
ensure we collaborate in our ever-diverse community. District 14 will continue to move forward in a safe,
collaborative, ethical and equitable fashion.
District 14: The Gem of Brooklyn
Connecting Hearts and Minds by Building Bridges
Respectfully,
Dr. Nyree Dawn Dixon
Superintendent
D14 Community Letter 5-25-2022 (1)
Community Letter – Spanish
Community Letter – Polish
Community Letter – Mandarin