School Safety: To Plan, or Not to Plan.........

BadgerKustoms wrote: A quick personal background, for others reading this who might hopefully join in. School safety is very important to me as I did have a son in attendance on Sept. 27th 2006 at Platte Canyon H.S., cannot begin to explain the level of fear I felt that day, but will admit to acting in a way that most other parents might not. Arguably, not in the best manner but quite effective none the less. While my kids are now relatively 'grown' (are they ever fully? lol ) and on their own now, the emotions experienced and the reactions might not ever differ even if my performance becomes inhibited by an aging body, should situations deem once again necessity. I have this feeling that most parents are this way, even if physical abilities differ.

Badger, first, I'd like to state we know of several parents who did the same thing you did. And I don't believe there's anyone anywhere that can blame you, or them. The reality is, at least from my perspective, that none of us really know deep in our hearts what we will do if we are ever confronted with something like this in our own lives. I happened to be almost 1400 miles away when the tragedy at Columbine went down. I know what I would have liked to do, but it would have gotten me locked up rather quickly. That being said, the incident at PCHS was something we (my wife and I) responded to by going toward Bailey as soon as we heard. Not to be able to do anything or interfere with anything, but this is our community now. We know a lot of people, and we thought just our presence might be able to help calm some of them down. The panic and chaos we encountered were palpable, especially given the SWAT vehicles rolling by on 285 in between vehicles lining the highway all the way out to PCHS. I know there's been a focus on gun violence in other threads in response to what happened in Sandy Hook Elementary School. But, from my perspective gun violence is only one of many emergency management issues we probably need to discuss. Public information dissemination for this incident was sadly lacking. So, does anyone out there have any recommendations on how this planning issue might be addressed better than it was? Picking up the children at Deer Creek Elementary School was also an issue. Some of the kids on the buses hadn't even been informed what was going down at the high school (I should mention that some of the buses arriving there were coming back from an event in the metro area, so were not at the high school at the time of the tragedy. When they got off the bus, the looks on their faces explained everything). Again, a planning issue that should be addressed. I can think of a whole bunch of others both at PCHS and Columbine, as well, but this'll have to do for a start.

Looking forward to an ongoing discussion, and, hopefully to perhaps getting a "pilot" program going up here in the mountains.

ZHawke

I know I've previously posted a link to a GAO study regarding schools and how they've complied, or not, with emergency management mandates. Now I'm providing a link to the full study.

If you go to page 39 of this government document, you may get a better picture of why "emergency management programs" in schools has been sorta problematic, thus far. From the article:

"In planning for emergencies, many school districts face challenges resulting from competing priorities, a lack of equipment, and limited expertise; some school districts experience difficulties in communicating and coordinating with first responders and parents, but most do not have such challenges with students."

Also from the article:

"School district officials who responded to our survey reported difficulty in following the recommended practice of allocating time to emergency management planning, given the higher priority and competing demand on their time for educating students and carrying out other administrative responsibilities."

Is it any wonder, then, why schools may be deficient in emergency management programs and/or reticent to "embrace" community groups organizing to try to help them? That's what our effort is all about - trying to help schools be safer places for our children to be and helping them get there.

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07609.pdf

I think you've hit the nail right on the head with the school's views toward emergency management.

The wife and I opted to home school our boys instead of letting them continue at PCHS, but I'll admit that decision wasn't due to the shooting but rather how the faculty interacted with us as parents. On many levels there was this, "We'll you're just parents, and we're teachers, so we know what we're talking about", mentality. This sort of attitude was displayed on a number of topics ranging from our boys' performance and a little more directly, emergency management discussions. Just prior to our decision to home-school, I coached my boys on some training excersizes and even started working out with them a great deal more. More importantly made it very clear to both of them, that if they're ever in a situation where someone of authority is suggesting to do something that they feel is counterproductive to the simple "escape/evade" principles of survival I've instructed on, they have my full support in disobeying that authority figure. That was perhaps a factor that caused so much tension between the faculty and us as parents. We felt it better for us, and the school, to remove our boys from the equation to keep everyone satisfied.

In hindsight however, the school probably could benefit from certain suggestions, (and hopefully by now has). "Locking down" may have its benefits but certainly also has its faults and yet I've never heard of any compensation plan should the lock down be compromised. At the same time, I can think of several useful tools that classrooms should have at the ready. Granted most of these items are going to have to be funded by tax dollars, so its not only the parents job to understand this, but get the word out to those who might not have children why such things are necessary.


Badger

BadgerKustoms wrote: I think you've hit the nail right on the head with the school's views toward emergency management.

The wife and I opted to home school our boys instead of letting them continue at PCHS, but I'll admit that decision wasn't due to the shooting but rather how the faculty interacted with us as parents. On many levels there was this, "We'll you're just parents, and we're teachers, so we know what we're talking about", mentality. This sort of attitude was displayed on a number of topics ranging from our boys' performance and a little more directly, emergency management discussions. Just prior to our decision to home-school, I coached my boys on some training excersizes and even started working out with them a great deal more. More importantly made it very clear to both of them, that if they're ever in a situation where someone of authority is suggesting to do something that they feel is counterproductive to the simple "escape/evade" principles of survival I've instructed on, they have my full support in disobeying that authority figure. That was perhaps a factor that caused so much tension between the faculty and us as parents. We felt it better for us, and the school, to remove our boys from the equation to keep everyone satisfied.

In hindsight however, the school probably could benefit from certain suggestions, (and hopefully by now has). "Locking down" may have its benefits but certainly also has its faults and yet I've never heard of any compensation plan should the lock down be compromised. At the same time, I can think of several useful tools that classrooms should have at the ready. Granted most of these items are going to have to be funded by tax dollars, so its not only the parents job to understand this, but get the word out to those who might not have children why such things are necessary.


Badger

Yup! Our decision to home school our youngest (4th grade at the time) was based on a combination of factors including that out of 5 "blended" kids, four of them were impacted by tragedies at both PCHS and Columbine (what're the odds?), and by the fact I was denied being able to look at the school's crisis response plan when I asked to see it.

Lock downs, lock outs, shelter-in-place, evacuations all have their place. But you mentioned some planning issues without going into any detail on what they might be (i.e.: "I can think of several useful tools that classrooms should have at the ready"). Please put them out there. At the very least, they may provoke some dialogue.

Thanks.
ZHawke

Did you know:
The worst school disaster in U.S. History took place in New London, TX March 18, 1937? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1osJ1dUvwco

Did you know:
The worst loss of life in schools as a result of tornado occurred in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana and affected 9 schools total March 18, 1925 (labeled the "Tri-State Tornado"). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tornado-related_deaths_at_schools

Did you know:
One of the worst school fires in U.S. History took place December 1, 1958 at Our Lady of the Angels Catholic School in Chicago, Illinois? http://www.olafire.com/FireSummary.asp

Did you know:
The worst school massacre in U.S. History took place in Bath, Michigan May 18, 1927? http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103186662

Is gun violence in our schools a problem? Sure it is. But our schools also face other hazards, some more relevant to individual schools, others less so. I don't post these things to be "in anyone's face". Rather, it is to try to help increase awareness of what emergency management can, and must, address in order to have safer schools. It isn't just about mass shootings. it's so very much more.

And, just so everyone understands, I'm not trying to be an alarmist, nor am I preaching anything close to "doom and gloom". The fact these tragedies happened doesn't mean that anything that severe will ever affect any of us. But if we choose to ignore the possibility that they, or something a little "less severe", could affect our schools, shouldn't we at least try to prepare for them if we can't "mitigate" them altogether?

BadgerKustoms wrote: I can think of several useful tools that classrooms should have at the ready. Granted most of these items are going to have to be funded by tax dollars, so its not only the parents job to understand this, but get the word out to those who might not have children why such things are necessary.

One particular item would be a counter-sink anchor in the floors with a small trap door to prevent it being a trip hazard. Its been some time and I can't remember what these were called, but basically when the door to the room is shut, and that trap door lifted, a door bar goes in there and up against the handle of the door thus making it extremely difficult to bust open. (This device only works on doors that open 'in' toward a room, but ideally for safety, doors should do just that. Doors opening out, into a hall, if done in a panic run the risk of injuring someone just outside.)

Safety ladders. Should be a necessity in any classroom that is not on the ground floor so that escape for any situation (fire, shooter, other,) is an available factor. Which leads to the discussion of emergency escape windows. Its understood you don't want someone falling out of a window that opens whenever someone wants, but an emergency window would work great here.

Chem sticks, a.k.a. glow sticks. In a power outage with no emergency gen back up, crack a few of these and drop them on the floor and they do a pretty good job of keeping sufficient illumination for 4 to 8 hours or more. Flashlights are also great, but in the event someone forgot to charge batteries, or a situation where you don't want much if any light to be viewed from outside a 'safe' room, chem sticks are quite handy.

First aid kit. Surprisingly many classrooms don't have these, and while I understand the whole 'malpractice', 'liability', counterpoints sometimes these things are just better to have than not. Kid scrapes his knee, send him to the school nurse. School is under lockdown, now you have the potential to stop any bleeding and keep everyone calm.

Marker flags for windows. If a classroom is occupied under a lock down situation, letting first responders and SWAT know they're there is very important. Its also important to know their condition. Green flag displayed in window during lock down means, "We're all in here, and so far safe". A blue flag in the window means "Someone in here needs medical attention as soon as possible". A room with no flag, is either a room of high interest, or unoccupied. Each will be entered by SWAT in the same manner which is likely a breech/clear scenario. (It should also be added that emergency personnel responding to a door of a marked room have a sort of "all clear" phrase that someone within can respond to and allow proper access before locking down again.)

Planning/and the "battle buddy" mindset. And on this I'm referring to escape/evasion scenarios that might not be as straight forward as a 'fire drill'. Perhaps there is a building exit, or even a room just down the hall that is reinforced and provides much better cover in an active shooter situation. The whole class marching there in single file, is perhaps not a good idea should said shooter walk around the corner and open up. I know this is where it gets extremely grim, but to minimize losses, the possibility of 'buddy' teams where two, or small groups of students are taught to make a bee line for that exit or room. Its not a fool proof idea, and I would readily agree that this sort of option would work better for mature students and/or teens but perhaps something should be considered.

So there's just a few outside the box ideas submitted for discussion. Most of which are all cost effective as well.


Badger

BadgerKustoms wrote:

BadgerKustoms wrote: I can think of several useful tools that classrooms should have at the ready. Granted most of these items are going to have to be funded by tax dollars, so its not only the parents job to understand this, but get the word out to those who might not have children why such things are necessary.

One particular item would be a counter-sink anchor in the floors with a small trap door to prevent it being a trip hazard. Its been some time and I can't remember what these were called, but basically when the door to the room is shut, and that trap door lifted, a door bar goes in there and up against the handle of the door thus making it extremely difficult to bust open. (This device only works on doors that open 'in' toward a room, but ideally for safety, doors should do just that. Doors opening out, into a hall, if done in a panic run the risk of injuring someone just outside.)

Safety ladders. Should be a necessity in any classroom that is not on the ground floor so that escape for any situation (fire, shooter, other,) is an available factor. Which leads to the discussion of emergency escape windows. Its understood you don't want someone falling out of a window that opens whenever someone wants, but an emergency window would work great here.

Chem sticks, a.k.a. glow sticks. In a power outage with no emergency gen back up, crack a few of these and drop them on the floor and they do a pretty good job of keeping sufficient illumination for 4 to 8 hours or more. Flashlights are also great, but in the event someone forgot to charge batteries, or a situation where you don't want much if any light to be viewed from outside a 'safe' room, chem sticks are quite handy.

First aid kit. Surprisingly many classrooms don't have these, and while I understand the whole 'malpractice', 'liability', counterpoints sometimes these things are just better to have than not. Kid scrapes his knee, send him to the school nurse. School is under lockdown, now you have the potential to stop any bleeding and keep everyone calm.

Marker flags for windows. If a classroom is occupied under a lock down situation, letting first responders and SWAT know they're there is very important. Its also important to know their condition. Green flag displayed in window during lock down means, "We're all in here, and so far safe". A blue flag in the window means "Someone in here needs medical attention as soon as possible". A room with no flag, is either a room of high interest, or unoccupied. Each will be entered by SWAT in the same manner which is likely a breech/clear scenario. (It should also be added that emergency personnel responding to a door of a marked room have a sort of "all clear" phrase that someone within can respond to and allow proper access before locking down again.)

Planning/and the "battle buddy" mindset. And on this I'm referring to escape/evasion scenarios that might not be as straight forward as a 'fire drill'. Perhaps there is a building exit, or even a room just down the hall that is reinforced and provides much better cover in an active shooter situation. The whole class marching there in single file, is perhaps not a good idea should said shooter walk around the corner and open up. I know this is where it gets extremely grim, but to minimize losses, the possibility of 'buddy' teams where two, or small groups of students are taught to make a bee line for that exit or room. Its not a fool proof idea, and I would readily agree that this sort of option would work better for mature students and/or teens but perhaps something should be considered.

So there's just a few outside the box ideas submitted for discussion. Most of which are all cost effective as well.


Badger

Mind if I share this in the Forum on our website? Great info! Thanks.

Please do, it helps more people if its passed around than if it sits in my head. :thumbsup: My son and I had discussed several years ago various things to make schools safer and sort of invented "The school of the future" in our minds. Certain elements would change, such as textbooks (if applicable) stay in the rooms to be used by all students attending that course throughout the day, thus eliminating the need for large backpacks. Any homework could be done even without the textbook so long as a student friendly version was available online, or these days perhaps as an app. Lanyard key cards (detectible, no need to swipe) to access the school and various rooms not only helps for taking the daily attendance, and keeps everyone safe, it also will not allow access to areas where students don't need to be. We (as a society) actually have the technology to make it possible, but it could be agreed that such things might be costly.

But it was due to discussions like this, some elements as I've listed above seemed a very practical preparation device. Unfortunately some faculty would disagree for whatever reasons. As years have gone on, and more events unfolded, I'm hoping opinions on that may have changed, or at the very least, minds opened.



Badger

SC, training is definitely something that is needed. There are many free training courses in emergency management offered through FEMA. Some of them qualify for continuing education and/or professional development credits for teachers and admins, but parents, too if that's something they are looking for. Our website has links to those training courses. Along those same lines, you mentioned you're not sure how effective parents can be. I believe, with the proper training, parents can provide a valuable resource and actually help out during responses to emergency and disaster events as well. As I mentioned previously, public information dissemination was not very good during the response to the tragedy at PCHS. With proper training, parents could help provide assistance in this area. With proper first aid training (through certified EMS) parents might also be of assistance performing triage and some of the simpler tasks associated with a mass casualty incident. My brain farts are working overtime, and I'll have more to come, but that's it for now. The idea is to get organized groups going that can provide assistance to first responders, and more. The key is working with them as directed in an incident like we're discussing.