Local school and law enforcement officials have taken steps to ensure the safety of students following the tragic shooting incident at a Connecticut school on Dec. 14.
For the most part, they are reviewing and reinforcing plans and protocols that are already in place. In some instances officials are considering new efforts in addition to the ones already established.
“We’re pretty well prepared to respond to something of this nature,” said Wiscasset Police Chief Troy Cline, adding that such situations are unpredictable. “You can only plan so far,” Cline said.
The Wiscasset Police Dept. increased patrols at area schools immediately following the school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
Cline said his department performed some extra patrols at the town’s three schools, and he and his officers will be continuing increased patrols for the next week or so.
“Everything looks fine at the schools, and I trust the schools because they have action plans in place that will help to hopefully mitigate situations such as this,” Cline said.
“The Wiscasset Police Dept. has a very good working relationship with the schools and we would be able to work through a tragedy like this, but we hope and pray that it would never happen up here,” Cline said.
“The principals at each school make me aware on a regular basis if they have any concerns about activity at the school … that would put their students at risk,” he said.
In Damariscotta, Police Chief Chad Andrews has also increased patrols and plans on meeting with school officials at Great Salt Bay Community School (GSB) to follow up on discussions that began some months ago regarding new ideas and enhancements for the present security system at the school.
Andrews has also assigned Det. Richard Alexander to explore options including grants for new security systems and protocols, and is also pursuing “active shooter” training for his officers.
“We’re on top of school security, and we’re very vigilant about it,” Andrews said.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office did not return phone calls seeking comment by press time.
The LCSO and the Waldoboro Police both maintain an armed School Resource Officer on site at the local high schools, Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro and Lincoln Academy in Newcastle.
On Dec. 18, Waldoboro Police Chief Bill Labombarde said he has met or talked with officials at all three public school facilities in Waldoboro. Of RSU/MSAD 40’s seven schools, three are in Waldoboro.
While Waldoboro’s full-time School Resource Officer, Tom Hoepner, is assigned to MVHS, fortunately, Labombarde said, the high school and the Medomak Middle School are literally across a parking lot from each other.
Labombarde, himself a veteran DARE and School Resource Officer, nominally serves as the DARE Officer at the Miller School in Waldoboro.
Labombarde and Hoepner met with MVHS officials at the high school Dec. 18. During the meeting the group performed a safety assessment, physically walking the school grounds and identifying areas of potential concern, Labombarde said.
Looking ahead, Labombarde said a piece of software purchased with a grant obtained by Waldoboro EMA director Todd Santheson, Hoepner, and himself, will help in the event of a school based emergency.
Similar to a virtual tour, the software will allow responders to create a digital map of Waldoboro’s schools and assist them in planning a tactical response.
Labombarde said it would be possible for RSU/MSAD 40 to purchase licenses to apply the program to the four other schools in the RSU/MSAD 40 system.
Additionally Labombarde said there is no reason the software could not be used for the private schools in town.
While Labombarde is busy meeting with school officials this week, he said his department’s work with the schools on safety and security issues is an ongoing task in his department. He added his department has a great working relationship with RSU/MSAD 40.
“We have been working very closely with the schools and just as importantly, they have been working very well with us,” he said.
School safety procedures at RSU/MSAD 40 are a part of regular practice, Supt. Susan Pratt said Dec. 17.
Pratt said her first response upon hearing of the Dec. 14 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut was to confirm that those protocols are being followed and that building administrators are ensuring that staffers understand the plans.
She said those practices include a communication plan and lockdown drills and that she planned to report on the district’s readiness at the Dec. 20 meeting of the RSU/MSAD 40 Board of Directors.
The annual fall lockdown drills have already taken place in all RSU/MSAD 40 schools, Pratt said.
“We’re all vulnerable but we have the appropriate protocols in place to be as safe as we can,” Pratt said. “It certainly didn’t stop that young man in Connecticut.”
Pratt said every public school in Maine has such communications and lockdown procedures in place and practices them regularly.
“Are you ever prepared for that kind of situation?” Pratt said. “I don’t know. I know we’re far ahead of where we were when I was in school. We make every effort to keep kids safe.”
She said the district was doing what it can to help children deal with their fears and concerns.
“Our counselors have all been given some advice on how to talk to children about this,” Pratt said. “Our school psychologist has reached out to all administrators as well. The news has been filled with this information and we don’t want children to be afraid.”
Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 93 Supt. Steve Bailey said his administration had engaged in several conversations about the shootings over the past weekend and that principals have been preparing to answer questions from students and families.
In a letter to parents, Bailey said principals, school counselors and social workers were available on Dec. 17 and “as long as necessary to provide support to students, parents or staff in dealing with this kind of event.
“You also should know that all of our schools have emergency plans,” Bailey wrote. “These plans include preparations for and responding to incidents of violence. Our local safety officials have worked with us in developing these plans and we have worked to build strong connections with these important support personnel,” Bailey said.
He said he had spoken with building principals regarding their plans (when children returned to school after Dec. 14) and was in touch again with them after school to review the day and provide any additional support necessary.
“We will be reviewing all of our safety plans to ensure that we take any and all steps necessary to ensure the safety of our students and staff. We have seen and heard many thoughts and condolences shared with the families of the victims. We share in the sending of these and know you do as well,” Bailey told families in his letter.
Sheepscot Valley RSU 12 interim Supt. Alan Hawkins said his district’s emergency response plans will be reviewed as well, in a letter to parents dated Dec. 16.
“While we don’t share the specifics of plans for security reasons, our plans reflect the model emergency plan provided to schools by the Maine Dept. of Education. In the days ahead, the administrative team will be reviewing our security measures to determine any modifications or additions needed,” Hawkins wrote.
Because students react differently to acts of violence, Hawkins recommends that parents make the decision on how to respond in a way that is best for each child, he wrote.
“Please let your child’s teacher or principal know if you have concerns about how your child is reacting to and dealing with this incident. Remember that each school has their principal, staff and support staff available to assist,” Hawkins wrote.
The incident in Connecticut began just after 9 a.m. on Dec. 14 when a gunman entered a grades K-4 school in Newtown, using an assault rifle to blast his way through the locked entryway of the school.
Allegedly, the gunmen killed one individual before going to Sandy Hook School and killing six school staff and 18 students and mortally wounding two other students before taking his own life. Recent reports reveal one child survived by “playing dead” and two other adults are reportedly injured and recovering.
