Safety expert: Kansas administrators shortsighted
10:58 p.m. Monday, April 30, 2007
Each day parents drop their children off at school. They expect them to be safe.
Students across Kansas frequently practice for disasters, from lining up in the hallways for a tornado drill to leaving the building for a fire drill.
And since the Columbine shootings eight years ago, most Kansas schools prepare students to respond if a gunman enters their school.
But, a 49 News investigation uncovered Topeka schools are not preparing kids for the unthinkable. Administrators are afraid it will scare the kids.
“For an actual, ‘OK kids, here’s where you go if a gunman comes’ or something, we don’t do that,” said Ron Harbaugh, USD 501 spokesman. “They’re going to be bothered by that and we want to make sure they’re there to learn and not worried about those kinds of things.”
Other Kansas districts, like Shawnee Heights, hold school drills, where students are swiftly taken to shelter and locked in rooms. But, Topeka school administrators feel it would provide unnecessary panic among children.
“It’s not to build a false sense of security, but just to let them know that there may be an occasion that this has to be done,” said Kyle Scheideman, Shawnee Heights police officer. “It allows them practice at it.”
It’s a wise move in today’s world, said Topeka Police Sgt. Ron Gish.
“You have to practice for active shooters, just like you do for tornadoes or fires, to make sure that everyone knows what to do, how to do it and how to do it so that they remain calm,” he said.
But one national school safety expert said Kansas administrators are shortsighted and it’s not enough just to have a plan if an intruder enters.
Intruder Response Plans
- Auburn-Washburn USD 437 - - Lockdown drills
- Emporia USD 253 - - No drills or practice
- Lawrence USD 497 - - Lockdown drills
- Perry-Lecompton USD 343 - - Lockdown drills, children evacuate to specific rooms
- Seaman USD 345 - - Various drills
- Shawnee Heights USD 450 - - Lockdown drills
- Topeka USD 501 - - Lockdown drills
“We’re making it too easy for these guys to be successful, and success to them means hurting or killing our kids, and that’s just unacceptable.” said Greg Crane, a former SWAT officer who is teaching students to fight back against the gunman, in order to proactively distract and detain the shooter. “You’re going to use your book, your bag, your pencil, your chair, your desk, whatever you can get your hands on, throw it at their hands, make them have to react to that.”
“You don’t have to traumatize them to do it,” said Topeka Police Sgt. Ron Gish. “A lot of times when people think you have to do training you have to make it as realistic as possible. But, all they need to know is they need to respond when they hear this.”
Still, Topeka schools aren’t ready to include kids in preparing for the worst.
“Teachers and students are aware of it, but we don’t do a drill like we would with a fire drill,” said Harbaugh. “I don’t know that you want to overly-scare the students.”
If you have concerns about the way Topeka schools handle things, you should contact your school’s principal or the district office at 295-3000.
Comments
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May. 1, 2007 at 2:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)parkay (anonymous)
Drill, drill, drill teachers and administrators, and make sure security guards are proficient in firearms.
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