Superintendent Debbe Lancaster holds the new folders and an example of a "what to do" paper that will be placed in classrooms in all of Wrangell's schools. Lancaster said that these are part of the school district's new crisis strategy, which hopes to keep students and teachers prepared and safe in the event of an emergency.
Beyond giving students as good an education as possible, one of the highest priorities for many schools is safety. This is especially true at the Wrangell Public School District, where a new crisis strategy is being prepared for implementation. According to Superintendent Debbe Lancaster, preparing students and teachers for an emergency is the best way to keep everyone safe.
"The committee has gone over the crisis plan that's in place and made some changes," she said.
The school district's safety committee, made up of school staff, parents, and other members of the community, put the new crisis strategy together. The idea for the new strategy came to the committee during some ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) active shooter training. The strategy has almost any potential emergency a school could face divided among five command phrases, Lancaster said. These command phrases are "Clear the halls", "Lockdown", "Shelter in place", "Evacuate the building", and "Stay put." The strategy covers emergencies ranging from a student having an allergic reaction, to weather-related emergencies, to bomb threats or active shooters.
"I think it's well thought out. It is easy to understand, and we should practice so that everyone knows what to do," she said.
Part of the new strategy involves putting bright red folders in each classroom with instructions on what teachers and students should do in the event of a crisis. Lancaster said that the instructions are easy to follow, clear, and will help avoid confusion or panic. The folders themselves are useful, too, she said. Teachers can use them to signal for help, or to help guide their students out of the school.
Lancaster said that the plan is awaiting final approval from the school board, which she expects will take place at their next meeting. Evergreen Elementary is planning to begin some drills for the new crisis plan soon, going over one command phrase a week. The crisis strategy will be implemented in the middle school and high school, as well.
"I'm really glad that we're doing this," Lancaster said. "Because of the fact that we have fire drills all of our lives, people aren't harmed in fires. If we have these drills and practice them, we're going to have better results should we run into a crisis."
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