Manhunt Put Schools in Emergency Mode

 Students in Clarke County Schools are settling back into their normal routine this week, now that murder suspect Jamie Hood is in custody. He is accused of killing officer Elmer “Buddy” Christian and wounding officer Tony Howard last Tuesday.

 Hood surrendered on Friday night after an intense manhunt.

 As soon as police notified the school district about the shooting, all schools were immediately “locked down.” Some were on “soft” lockdowns to limit outdoor activities, while others were put into “hard” lockdown status, which essentially kept students in their classrooms.

 “We communicated the difference between a soft lockdown and a hard lockdown,” said Eric Keese, director of safety and risk management and recruitment and retention for the Clarke County School District.

 The Athens-Clarke County Police Department sent bulletins to schools as tips about the shooter’s whereabouts came in and police raced from one part of town to another.

 “We moved our schools from a soft lockdown to a hard lockdown as necessary,” said Keese. “Teachers could check their email right in their classrooms and keep students informed of the plan updates.”

 The shooting was a vivid reminder that schools, like law enforcement organizations and hospitals, must be ready to act immediately when emergency strikes.

 State law requires public school systems to develop wide-ranging safety plans that cover everything from acts of violence and terrorism to natural disasters and releases of radiation or other hazardous materials.

 Using technical assistance from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, public schools develop plans that fit local needs.  Safety plans for Clarke County Schools cover a range of possibilities. These include tornadoes, the death of a student or an employee, the discovery of weapons on campus, or campus disruption by an unruly visitor

 Every school has a designated safety coordinator. There’s a copy of the system’s plan in every classroom.

 Although Clarke County Schools emphasize emergency training at faculty and staff, public health officials elsewhere advocate a larger role for parents.  

 Michigan has pioneered a K-12 health education program that prepares parents, as well as school personnel, to discuss safety and other important health information with their children. This program was featured during a school safety session during last month’s National Health Preparedness Summit in Atlanta.

 “Impact of disasters on children is significant,” said Ashley VandeKopple, a teacher with the Kentwood Public Schools and the Michigan Department of Community Health.

 VandeKopple spoke to attendees about the Michigan Model, a K-12 curriculum that prepares kids for natural and manmade disasters, pandemic influenza, terrorism and other emergencies.

 “We want to empower children with the knowledge, skills and judgment to make smart decisions before, during and after an emergency,” said VandeKopple.

 Some of the lessons provide parents with tips for educating their children about staying safe in school, at home and the community.

 “Families are their children’s most important health teachers,” said Jessica Shaffer, a school health education consultant for the Michigan Department of Community Health, based in Lansing.

 But parents need to know how to talk about frightening subjects in an age-appropriate way, and how not to say too much or too little.  “If you scare them. they may avoid the subject all together,” said Shaffer.

 The Michigan Model was developed in 1985. It’s now used by school systems in 39 other states, including parts of Georgia. It’s not used in the Clarke County School District.

Marcie McClellan is a graduate student at the University of Georgia, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She earned her B.A. in English from Spelman College in 2007. Marcie is studying health and medical journalism because of her interests in health disparities.  She hopes to develop more effective ways to communicate health information to populations that have long been underserved by the media and by healthcare systems.