Hellgate Elementary Response to the Sandy Hook Tragedy…

Hellgate Elementary Response to the Sandy Hook Tragedy…

• Student Mental Health Response• Facility Security Concerns Response

• Emergency Procedures Review Response

Presentation by: Douglas Reisig, Superintendent, Hellgate ElementaryJanuary 31, 2013

Student Mental Health…

Issue #1…

Mental Health Concerns…• Western Montana Mental Health Center Partnership – CSCT Program (Comprehensive

School/Community Treatment Program) – beginning the week of January 21st through January 25th, 2013, the school district was to expand the program partnership with WMMHC and then look to expand further for the 2013/2014 school year.

• Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

1. On campus, from the Western Montana Mental Health Center, Hellgate Elementary will now have two licensed behavior specialists and two licensed program therapists with the goal to expand to three in each area for the 2013/2014 school year.

2. On campus, from current Hellgate Elementary staff, we have: five licensed school counselors, three licensed school psychologists, and one licensed clinical professional counselor through the state of Montana.

1. Program is a school-wide program designed to prevent or reduce bullying throughout the school setting and on school buses.

2. Program designed to improve peer relations and make schools safer, more positive places for students to learn and develop. Goals of the program include (1) reducing existing bullying problems among students; (2) preventing new bullying problems; and, (3) achieving better peer relations at school.

Facility Security…

Issue #2…

Facility Security Concerns…

• Improve telephone notification system – not all rooms may have phones or have phones that they can hear (individual volume control)

• Reduce steps in the telephone notification sequence to alert buildings of a lockdown

• Install inside building visual alerts in classrooms and hallways (red lights) to alert buildings of a lockdown

• Specific and unique sound alerts in hallways and building exteriors (horn alerts) to alert buildings/playground areas of a lockdown

• Proximity doors to lock all doors during the school day with control entrance access

• Install cameras in interior hallways of each building to monitor human traffic

• Color code hallways to assist law enforcement in early detection of areas in need of law enforcement assistance

• Main entrance doors accessible only through a camera and buzzer system

What do we do now?

Facility Security Concerns…• Clearly mark each campus building with readable letters – Building #1; Building #2;

Building #3 to assist law enforcement in early detection of school facility in need of law enforcement support

• Window coverings in each room area

• Deadbolts in some classrooms to increase classroom security – possible solution

• Review of door locking mechanisms to ensure proper working order

• Identification lanyards for staff and visitors on campus

• Establish procedures for playground lockdowns/evacuations in times of recess/lunch/before and after school

• Review working conditions of all bathroom stall locks

• Research costs associated with hiring a School Resource Officer (armed) to be on campus every day of the school year

Google Earth of Hellgate Elementary - Jan. 18, 2013.pptx

Emergency Response…

Issue #3…

Emergency Response…

• Continue to review and train administration/staff on the elements of the “Crisis Response Manual”

• Continue to review and train administration/staff on the elements of the “Lockdown Partial/Evacuation Procedure Guidelines”

• Continue to review and address issues contained in the “Lockdown Drill Checklist Procedures” administrative report

• Law Enforcement/Observations and Recommendations on School Lockdown Procedures that go beyond initial emergency response procedure – What to do next?

1. Pepper spray2. Baseball bats3. Arming staff with firearms4. School Resource Officer (SRO) – armed assistance

• Research and schedule professional in-service opportunities with the Missoula Sheriff’s Department and Missoula Police Department on individual school employee thought process during an actual lockdown event to assist administration and staff in “empowering school personnel to think and respond”!

Building Evacuation Plan…• In the event that staff and students need to be evacuated from Building #1, students

from Building #1 will be reassembled in the Building #2.

• In the event that staff and students need to be evacuated from Building #2, students from Building #2 will be reassembled in the Building #3.

• In the event that staff and students need to be evacuated from Building #3, students from Building #3 will be reassembled in the Building #1.

• In the event that none of the three district buildings can serve as evacuation areas, students and staff will evacuate to the middle school soccer field for safety precautions and further evacuation instructions.

• Maintenance personnel will set-up roadblocks, as needed on Flynn Lane and will organize and manage traffic and parking areas for emergency vehicles.

• No students will be released from school personnel supervision until it is deemed safe and appropriate by the administration in conjunction with the law enforcement officials on site.

• No students will be allowed to leave the lockdown/evacuation area until it is deemed safe and appropriate to do so by the school administration in conjunction with the law enforcement officials on site.


Google Earth of Hellgate Elementary II - Jan. 22, 2013.pptx


Parent Reunion/Student Release Information…

• The school district will designate a location for reunification of students with authorized adults after a lockdown and/or evacuation event (i.e. parents, legal guardians, or other authorized person listed on Schoolmaster – school districts’ student database information system). Most likely – school building gymnasiums.

• When an adult makes an in-person request for the release of student(s) at the parent reunion area:

1. Obtain the name of student(s)2. Request a picture ID to verify the identity of the adult3. Verify that he or she is authorized by Schoolmaster (student database information

system) to pick-up the student4. ** The school district will not release students to people not listed on Schoolmaster

as having rights to pick up the student.**5. The school district will document to whom the student has been released along with

date and time and obtain signature from adult.

• Generally, reunion sites should be located in a secure facility with easy access to transportation and plenty of parking for buses and all parent and support cars (i.e. civic centers, large churches, fair grounds, etc.).

• Reunion sites are the only places where parents can claim children on the school campus after a lockdown and/or evacuation event.



• If using the Hellgate Elementary campus for reuniting students with parent, the school district will develop a parent reunion plan for parent parking, parent staging, student assembly area, and location of counseling and medical/first aid services.

• To Release Students:1. The school district will establish a parent staging area in each school gymnasium

consisting of a minimum of one table for each grade level represented on the school campus if a lockdown and/or an evacuation event has occurred. (Pre K will be released first, Kindergarten next, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, etc.)

2. Additional tables may be set up per grade level with alphabetic and/or grade level subsets (i.e. A-L; M-Z, etc. and/or 1st grade; 2nd grade, etc.)

3. Grade levels and alphabetic subsets will be clearly marked on a sheet of paper and affixed to the wall behind the table or to the table itself in such as manner so that it is visible to adults standing in line.

• Assign staff or reliable students to act as runner(s) and/or use portable communication devices to relay requests for students to respond from the student assembly area to the student release area.

1. Young students and special needs students may require adults to escort them from the assembly area to the student release area and confirm the release of the student

2. If a child is in the counseling or medical/first aid area, escort the parent to the area for reunification



• Time permitting, all parents will be provided with either an explanation letter, a telephone notification announcement, and/or both explaining the circumstances of the emergency that prompted the use of Parent Reunion/Student Release procedures. This information will be prepared by the Superintendent.

• Work with emergency responders to provide traffic and crowd control for the parent reunion area.

• Students not picked up by parents or guardians will be released at the end of normal school day and bus transportation from the parent reunion location area and/or the school campus to the students’ bus stop area will be arranged by Hellgate Transportation.

Hellgate Elementary Response to the Sandy Hook Tragedy…

• Student Mental Health Response• Facility Security Concerns Response

• Emergency Procedures Review Response

Important Work In Progress…

Documents

Hellgate Elementary Response to the Sandy Hook Tragedy…