Drills Prep Pupils, Police

“We are going into “lockdown;” please follow lockdown procedures!”
(Assistant Principal Peter Daly, of Lower Cape May Regional High School, begins school security drill over the PA system) 
ERMA – Philadelphian and founding father Benjamin Franklin stated: “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
In modern parlance, it might be stated that it is better to prevent harmful incidents than to respond to the damage after it occurs.
In the case of safeguarding children in an increasingly violent society, school administrators and government leaders are determined to do both.
The phenomenon of school mass shootings has been documented from Columbine, Colo. to Parkland, Fla. over the last 20 years, although school shootings on a smaller scale have taken place for many decades, the latest in an Ocala, Fla. high school April 20.
The Herald examined the necessity of protecting Cape May County school pupils proactively as Ben Franklin urged, and also reactively by responding to and stopping the attack in cases where prevention fails. 
The Herald recently spoke to county and municipal officials, educational leaders, law enforcement and security experts, as well as school guidance counselors to assess the state of readiness, first to prevent, and if necessary, respond to any emergency, including mass shootings in Cape May County school districts. 
New Jersey Department of Education
Cape May County Office 
Michael Yapel of the NJDOE Communications Office provided an overview of his department’s efforts with a statement that reads in part: “Every New Jersey School is required by law to hold at least one fire drill and one school security drill every month. The four primary kinds of school-safety drills include active shooter, lockdown/shelter in place, non-fire evacuation, and bomb threat.
“There are more than 2,500 schools in New Jersey (actually, 2,516). If you do the quick math and figure a 10-month school year, that’s more than 50,000 drills a year in New Jersey’s public schools every year. That figure doesn’t include nonpublic schools, which also hold drills.”
The DOE statement also noted that the NJDOE “conducted unannounced active shooter drill observations in 69 percent of Cape May County districts (16)” since 2014. 
Lower Cape May Regional School District
A Superintendent’s View 
Superintendent Christopher Kobik of the Lower Cape May Regional School District, district security supervisor Darrin Hickok, and School Security Specialist Peter Daly, vice principal of LCMR High School, met with the Herald to discuss the district’s state of emergency preparedness.
Kobik stated that school security “is an evolutionary issue.” “There are lots of different views on this” (issue) and “I want to lay out things we are doing” in the district. 
Kobik sees the problem as having two perspectives that must be addressed.
First, Kobik spoke about infrastructure, which includes hardening the defenses of the school. This includes school resource officers, security technology such as cameras and locks, conducting drills and environmental steps like trimming back trees and bushes to assist first responders as they assess the situation inside the school, from the outside.
According to Kobik, for the last five years, a special committee that includes representatives of the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, Lower Township Police, Cape May Police, Fire and EMS units have met to coordinate and standardize emergency plans and drills in the district.
These meetings include training sessions that feature table-top exercises that are designed to replicate real-world and real-time situations such as active shooters so that first responders can answer the question “What should we do if?”
Kobik also noted that the district conducts optional drills that include testing communication systems such as the public address system to ensure that every classroom has a functioning speaker. Other checklist items include a camera, doors, and lock maintenance, and training custodial staff.
Kobik is installing security vestibules with exterior warning strobe lights at school entrances that will isolate any visitor to the school within that area while their credentials are evaluated and before entry to the school is authorized. 
“Ounce of Prevention” Is Best 
The second perspective Kobik spoke about was “Behavioral/Proactive.” Kobik sees this perspective as less tangible, but as Franklin would note, prevention might include the concept of creating healthy social support and mental health environment for students and staff. This allows them to identify at-risk students who may be in need of intervention before an incident occurs.
Kobik’s district has also received approval for a Family Advocate/Social Worker to assist families in crisis.
Cape Assist, a local substance abuse and counseling agency, Cape Regional Wellness Alliance, and Cape Counseling are also utilized in the student-centered strategy.
That idea is consistent with the ACE (Adverse Child Experience) model that is dedicated to “increasing awareness of the long-term consequences of Adverse Childhood Experiences and increasing the availability of coordinated, community resources and activities in Cape May County” (Herald Feb. 27, 2018). 
Students Are Primary Focus 
LCMR High School’s Daly and Guidance Counselor Dana Markovitz spoke at length about creating that positive and supportive school environment as a way to reduce the possibility that a student or former student might wish to do harm at his or her school. Markovitz noted that in light of the recent March for Life student movement protesting school violence, LCMR student leaders thought about walking out with the other schools throughout the country. However, “They did not want to give the impression that they do not feel safe at their school.” Daly stated that staff tries to encourage and nurture pride in the school that provides a feeling of comfort and positive vibes.
Daly mentioned the Spirit Club as one example of students taking the lead to ensure that all students feel a part of something special at LCMRHS.
Markovitz noted that the student government is also a leading force in creating this positive environment. She noted that one student officer took the lead to hand out flyers, and to help organize a voter registration effort to enlist voting age students to register and take direct action to elect government leaders who favor legislation that will reduce school and all types of violence.
Markovitz also stated that students are always encouraged to alert someone when they become concerned about the behavior of other students, or if they begin to harbor violent thoughts. 
Response to Emergencies
“Pound of Cure” Necessary 
Security Supervisor Hickok reviewed the New Jersey state law 18A:41-1 that requires all schools to conduct a school security drill each month, during school hours.
The drills complement Standard Operating Procedure 54 that was developed by the Cape May County Chiefs of Police Association issued in September 2016.
That 16-page policy defines various terms such as “active shooter,” “lockdown,” “shelter in place,” and other concepts that blend into this comprehensive policy.
Cape May County endeavors to “empower initial responding officers with the authority and responsibility to take immediate action consistent with their training and experience to contain and, if necessary, to neutralize active shooters.”
Drills are characterized by the type of student threat and response. Those categories are Active Shooter, Lockdown, Shelter in Place, and Evacuation.
The Herald was invited to observe a “lockdown” drill at LCMR High School. Daly serves as the district school security specialist and explained that drills are unannounced and that several staff and outside evaluators witness the conduct of the drill to note any issues or failures that need to be addressed. 
Lock Down Drill, Lessons Learned 
The drill began with a scripted announcement over the school PA system from Daly, “We are going into “lockdown;” please follow lockdown procedures.”
As this reporter observed the drill, it was apparent that everyone, students, and staff, disappeared within seconds. The idea is for everyone to use classrooms to avoid being exposed to anyone entering the corridors and common area.
Doors are locked, shades are pulled down on the entry door, and everyone remains at the extreme furthest point from the door, on the floor, and out of sight and sound.
As Daly and other “evaluators” checked the hallways, Daly did notice one unlocked door (vacant, but should have been locked) and a couple of shades that were not pulled down or in need of repair.
Approaching the front entrance, it was apparent that the security “vestibule” component of the lockdown procedure had partially failed. A staff member was able to access the inside vestibule area from the outside with her key.
A new strobe light on the outside wall of the entrance should warn any staff coming in to stay outside due to an emergency situation within the school, but that staffer had not been told of the new procedure and had simply unlocked the door to gain entry.
That highlighted the need for more continuous staff training. Daly stated, “We always encounter something we can improve on during these drills.” 
Upper Township School District 
The Upper Township School District includes Upper Township Primary, Elementary, and Middle schools. 
Superintendent Vincent Palmieri provided this general statement about his schools’ state of readiness.
“We conduct one fire drill, one security drill per month (minimum). Every instructional space has new doors and locking mechanisms that can be remotely locked in the event of an emergency. 
“Every instructional space has new classroom-door window shades that are lowered when the room is not in use and/or in the event of an emergency. 
“Maps/blueprints of the entire district have been digitized and are utilized on a daily basis to visually depict the safety status of each instructional space.
“We have a great working relationship with the State Police, local fire departments, and EMTs and collaboratively evaluate and assess our security measures.  
“We always encourage families to hold age-appropriate conversations with their children regarding traumatic events; supporting what we do here at school.” 
Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office
Coordination of County Wide Response 
The Herald contacted the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office to identify how that office coordinates prevention and response to school emergencies.
According to Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland, “We had the proper protocols in place before this latest mass shooting in Florida.”
Capt. Michael Emmer added that public safety practitioners including police, fire, and emergency medical technicians receive initial and annual refresher emergency response training.
Emmer noted that the County Prosecutor’s Office would conduct and monitor unannounced drills, and also coordinates comprehensive live, multi-agency drills that are conducted at various training venues such as the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May.
The county Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team participates in continuous drills in coordination with tactical response units; a central command vehicle is at the ready to serve as the command post at any emergency venue.
That command vehicle normally includes the municipality’s chief of police involved as lead, with county and other agencies participating as circumstances may dictate.
All response teams are comprised of designated and trained local police officers who drill separately and in concert with school-initiated drill events. 
Countywide “411TIP” Program
Prevention through Technology 
Sutherland believes “The best way to address these incidents is to try to get ahead of the problem, and the best way to proactively do that is through the Sheriff’s 411TIP program.”
This new initiative is intended to provide students, staff, and citizens with an anonymous method to report anything that concerns them about a student or other’s behavior that may be threatening to the schools.
According to the Cape May County Sheriff’s website, “The Cape May County Sheriff’s Office is the first in New Jersey to use anonymous two-way texting of tips. Tip411 (847411) has been implemented by the Cape May County Sheriff’s Office as a tool to allow anyone to provide information anonymously to the Cape May County Sheriff’s Office via the website, phone app, text message, and Facebook.
This kind of “on demand” capability enables the public to provide information while maintaining total anonymity.” 
The New Normal 
The lockdown drill at LCMR High School ended with: “This is Peter Daly. Today is March 29; this drill is complete.” 
As if by magic, students and staff quietly and purposely left their lockdown positions and returned to their pre-drill activities as if nothing unusual had just happened.
This is the new normal for school children in Cape May County and around the nation.
To contact Jim McCarty, email jmccarty@cmcherald.com.