District Administration- August 2008 - (Page 38)

do you know the drill? search team. No devices were found, but information was obtained that resulted in three students’ arrests. A letter was sent home with students explaining to parents what had transpired and the ultimate outcome, which was that everyone was safe. School’s Out, Shooter Drills In When Cherokee County students are not in school—for example, during spring break—“active shooter drills” with members of the sheriﬀ’s department are held, Kissel says. Two or three oﬃcers conduct a mock drill in which they respond to an active shooter in a school building. “It’s one thing to have a county response protocol, and it’s another thing to never practice it and make sure it works,” Kissel says. Keeping students out of the active shooter drills is also about keeping the plan secret. “We don’t want our kids to know how we’re going to respond or what we’re going to do,” he says. student body/staﬀ from the school campus to your designated oﬀ-site evacuation site,” he says. “Practice makes for the best hope for success.” The procedures include having teachers take class rosters and cell phones with them and keeping students as calm and quiet as is humanly possible. In a Northwood evacuation, for example, administrators are to wear orange vests for identiﬁcation purposes and to have access to a walkietalkie. Diﬀerent grades of students are to use diﬀerent exits and doors in the buildTo ensure new staﬀ members are prepared, Kissel created Camp Cherokee, which is a four-hour program in the summer in which staﬀ members learn safety and security protocols and expectations needed for academic achievement. For example, they learn where they can lead students in an emergency and what doors to use, he says. Although class rosters are maintained electronically, Kissel encourages teachers to carry grade books with them during lunch and other times when students are with them so that if there is an “It’s a tough intersection, so we need the police there.” —John Weicker, security director, Fort Wayne (Ind.) Community Schools FORT WAYNE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS At Fort Wayne (Ind.) Community Schools, security director John Weicker says all 11 middle schools practiced this past school year their written “oﬀ-site emergency evacuation plans” mandated by Rita Turﬂinger, the area administrator for the district’s middle schools. For example, just prior to the end of the school year, Northwood Middle School practiced evacuating students to the nearby Bishop Dwenger High School gym, forcing students and staﬀ to cross a busy road. Even though it posed some logistical problems, administrators knew they had to conduct the drill. “It takes time organizing, setting up an evacuation site where students have to cross a state highway that runs through town,” Weicker says. “It’s a tough intersection, so we need the police there.” Weicker is conﬁdent the elementary and high schools will also complete a practice run of their written oﬀ-site evacuation plans this school year. “These plans are unique to each school and are time consuming and diﬃcult to practice, as it actually requires that you move your entire 38 August 2008 ing as speciﬁed in the procedure. Two staﬀ members are to hold large Stop signs at cross streets. Once students cross the busy Washington Center Road to Bishop Dwenger’s gym, students are to sit in rows on the gym ﬂoor. Every teacher takes attendance to account for every student. Parents wanting to get their children must have received prior authorization with a school administrator. One day in late May, the evacuation drill ensued, with students escorted across the state highway on Washington Center Road with the help of police. A teacher from another district happened to be waiting at the intersection and wrote a congratulatory note to the district, saying how well behaved the students were. Weicker credits the Fort Wayne police for assisting the district and other city schools in providing safety for staﬀ and students, by helping them deal with existing issues, and in ongoing preparation for the “unthinkable.” Challenges While the South Brunswick, Cherokee County and Fort Wayne schools have noteworthy drills, keeping all staﬀ members and teachers abreast of the emergency response plan is challenging, says Kissel from Cherokee County. “I end up with new teachers every year,” he says. emergency, they have every student’s name for accountability purposes. “It’s to make sure we don’t have people roaming around like deer in headlights,” Kissel adds. Teachers are also encouraged to store snacks, water and coloring books for the lower elementary school students in cabinets in classrooms in case an emergency leaves them trapped in school for hours on end. Teachers are even asked to know how to create a temporary latrine out of heavyduty trash bags and a cardboard box, in case students need to relieve themselves, Kissel says. Physically challenged students can’t descend stairs quickly, so Kissel bought an evacuation apparatus that allows wheelchair-bound students and students with other handicaps to ascend and descend ﬂoors. “We never had to use it, but we have practiced with it,” he says. Weicker from Fort Wayne schools adds that convincing administrators to take the time to train is another challenge. Given American education’s obsession with testing and meeting standards, “to get a building level person to think it’s important enough to take time away from task is a tough nut to crack,” Weicker says. “I’ve been doing this for quite a while and, unfortunately, things seem to take oﬀ after a tragedy.” DA Angela Pascopella is senior features editor. District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration- August 2008

District Administration - August 2008
Contents
Editor's Letter
Letters
News Update
Curriculum
English Language
8th Annual Salary Survey
Do You Know the Drill?
The Evolution of Notification Systems
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
New Products
Problem Solutions
Technology Books
Profession Opinion
Supervisor's Opinion
Crisis Response
Speaking Out
Calendar of Events
Understanding the Times

District Administration- August 2008