Crisis Planning Successfully Protects Staff & Students
There was an event earlier today that resulted in several buildings within the School District of Superior being placed in a what was termed “hold and secure” mode. According to the District’s Facebook page, the buildings that were protected in that manner included Superior High School, Superior Middle School, Bryant Elementary, Great Lakes Elementary, and the Administration Office.
School District of Superior Administrator Janna Stevens
According to District Administrator Janna Stevens, every building in the District has a formal Crisis Plan in place in the event of an emergency. She said, “our schools practice various aspects of the Crisis Plan throughout the school year. The practice could be a fire drill or a secure lock down. The reason for all the practice is to make sure we are ready in the event of an actual emergency. Today, April 7th, the plan went into effect for several of our buildings.”
At approximately noon, the District was notified of a threat made to a staff member, as well as toward unnamed members of the administration at the Board Office. The threat was verbal without any physical actions or weapons. Nonetheless, according to District policy any threat is always taken seriously. Within minutes of learning of the threat, the Board office and high school were secured. In addition, the other school buildings that may have been at risk were also immediately secured. An arrest was made of the person alleged to have made the threat a short time later.
Stevens said, “when we have a threat of any kind, we evaluate it quickly and always err on the side of caution. Fortunately, the individual making the threat was taken into police custody before the school day ended, so our students could get home safely.”
Superior High School
Sources within the School District, advised Explore Superior that they utilize their website and Facebook page to get accurate information out to those that are seeking information. Given the pervasiveness of social media, with students sending text messages, posting to Facebook, and “Tweeting” to fellow students and parents in real time, the District tries to keep the public informed as much as possible, while protecting the privacy and safety of students and employees.
Steven’s stated that the District’s primary goal is to get information out without causing a panic. With that in mind, they are committed to obtaining solid information to share, rather than acting too quickly, and while reviewing the entire crisis. A district source stated that they reach a point where all families and staff need to be aware of the situation, then and only then do they utilize the phone messenger system to send out a call and email to all concerned parties. At all times, “the safety and security of students and employees is the District’s primary concern” said Stevens.
Working closely with the Superior Police Department to ensure schools and grounds are safe is also a high priority. Within minutes of being informed of today’s threat, District administration had law enforcement at all four school buildings and the administrative office. This was somewhat complicated by the fact that public voting was going on at Superior Middle School, but the presence of a uniformed SPD officer helped secure that location.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my administrative team and the Superior Police Department for working quickly and collaboratively on this situation. I am so thankful that this threat ended peacefully,” said Stevens. She went on to say that the district “will continue to practice safety drills so we are as prepared as possible for any situation that arises.”
Explore Superior will continue to report on this situation should more information become available.
