HUNTINGTON – Gateway principals were once again in the hot seat, as they underwent a ‘table top’ drill last week under the careful observation of officials from the Massachusetts State Police.
“They did really well,” noted Trooper James Carmichael, who serves on a statewide school security unit. “It’s to be expected because Gateway’s considered the model for this work.”
The principals, a school secretary, the security guard and the public information officer were all put through their paces in managing an armed intruder, as they sat together and mapped out their step-by-step responses to an unfolding, make believe scenario.
As always, it was discovered that a key part of successfully managing a crisis was going to be the response of parents.
“As students text their parents in an emergency, parents may try to call the school or come to the school,” noted Carmichael. “This could actually put everyone at greater risk because it could tie up phone lines that are needed to communicate with emergency agencies or block the access of emergency response vehicles.”
“It is so counter-intuitive for parents to stay away,” noted Wendy Long, the district’s public information officer. “But it really is the best thing they could do. And those who stay by their phones could be the first to actually reunite with their children after a crisis.”
In any emergency at a Gateway school, parents are asked to remain by their telephones and wait for information, updates and instructions on when and where to pick up their children.
This week is America’s Safe Schools Week.
