It’s noon on a Tuesday, and you’re an assistant principal watching hundreds of middle school students in the cafeteria. Across the room, you see a stranger in the building, a rough-looking middle-aged man in jeans and an Army green jacket striding through the cafeteria just a few feet from students at tables. What do you do?
You’re a teacher walking past the cafeteria at the time. You see the stranger, step in front of and ask him to stop. He doesn’t respond, but shoulders past you and keeps walking. As he brushes by, you see what appears to be a knife hanging on his belt. What do you do?
The situation described above hasn’t happened in a Putnam City school, but thinking ahead of time about how to handle it is an import
ant exercise in school security, says Officer Mark Stout of the Putnam City Campus Police.
In fact, as part of his duties Stout leads school staffs, students and parents through "tabletop" crisis exercises. Tabletop exercises simulate an emergency in order to stimulate thought and discussion. Participants are given a scenario which then begins to unfold into an increasingly difficult situation. The exercise is done in real time – second-by-second, minute-by-minute – in order to simulate a real crisis. After the scenario has run out, discussion begins. Roles and responsibilities are examined. Logistics are considered. Dialogue pinpoints weaknesses and strengths in the school’s emergency plan, allowing adjustments to be made.
In the past few years, Stout has led exercises in which intruders enter schools, explosions rock buildings and crashing planes cut a swath of destruction through scores of classrooms.
"Tabletop exercises work because school personnel get the chance to look at a situation that could happen in their own building and to see what responses are best. The exercises are important as something that raises awareness, but they are also important because of the changes that happen over time in a school. You have changes in building layout, the communities that surround schools, and expectations. There are changes in students, parents, teachers and administrators. Tabletop exercises allow for evaluation of existing safe school plans to find out if changes are accounted for and if plans cover all that needs to be covered," Stout says.
The tabletop exercises are just one way the district focuses on safety and security. For years, teachers have been asked to keep classroom doors closed and locked. Schools are to have only the front door to the school unlocked. All school staff are asked to stop strangers in the building not wearing a school visitor sticker. Students and staff at every school take part in lockdown drills at least once a semester. A Campus Police officer is assigned to each of the three high schools, and three other officers are on-duty during the day to respond to calls from schools. If a situation calls for it, Campus Police can monitor any of the 675 cameras mounted in 27 schools.
The district is now in the process of creating "secure access entrances" at schools to funnel all visitors into school offices. Using MAPS for Kids funds and bond funds, about half of school entrances have been restructured, and plans are in the works for the rest of the schools to undergo the transformation, too.
Stout says that all district security precautions are important, but vigilance by people in schools is key.
"Security devices, safety precautions and crisis plans are critically important, but they don’t deliver their full value unless staff and students are alert and respond quickly and correctly," Stout says.
In mid-October a tabletop crisis exercise was held at Hefner Middle School. The scenario discussed was an intruder in the building. Teachers, parents and students on the Safe School Committee took part. Here are thoughts from students who took part:
"I was happy that we had it, and I'm glad we are secure around the school."
Korbyn, 6th grade
"I thought it made a lot of sense. It was a good experience, and I think it can help prevent some of the bad things that have been going on in other schools."
Jonathan, 7th grade
"It was helpful. It made us think about things and how to make our school safer."
Erin, 8th grade
"It made me feel good to know that we can come here and feel safe and our life is not in jeopardy."
Kellie, 8th grade