Information About Our Crisis Management Plan
FROM THE DESK OF THE SUPERINTENDENT:
Following the tragic event that took place last Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School, there has been a focus put on local crisis management plans across the country.
We are required by law to hold an annual meeting and a drill with local first responders. The plan is crafted and revised by our administration and law enforcement that are trained to deal with crisis situations. This drill is held every year on a non-attendance day because the conscious decision was made to not include students in the drill. Many schools choose to not include students in the intruder drill for obvious reasons. The shooter might be a student. A realistic drill causes trauma and extreme stress in many young children, unlike the routine of a fire drill or a tornado drill.
Last year our local law enforcement hosted a state-wide intruder training drill in the Auburn High School. During these drills and crisis plan meetings, plans evolve to address vulnerabilities. There is no crisis management plan that has no vulnerabilities, however; we have many safeguards to make sure our students’ safety is our absolute top priority. We have emergency buttons in secret locations. We have buzzers, cameras and locked doors. We have a process and protocol for events and decision making. Law enforcement agrees that we should not reveal all of our procedures so that everyone, including the potential threat, knows the choreographed events that would occur during a crisis.
It is reassuring to know that there is an annually revised plan that is reviewed with staff. We, as a school and a community, want to do everything possible to always ensure the safety of our students.
Darren J. Root
