[ad_1]
With the start of the school year just weeks away, some districts are rethinking their approach to safety.”Before education, school safety is the most important thing that we really do,” said Mascenic Regional School District Superintendent Elizabeth Pogorzelski.Mascenic is one of 30 schools in the state to enroll in Blue-U Defense’s new “Active Shooter 2.0″ program, created by the New Hampshire-based security company.”The landscape of school safety has changed significantly, so I think that we do need to be ready,” Pogorzelski said. “And, the standardized programs that we’ve been using just really weren’t cutting it.”The program, designed by two Granite State police officers, encourages schools to rethink how they respond during active shooter situations.”It is absolutely necessary for people to see reality,” said Terry Choate Jr., president and co-founder of Blue-U Defense.Blue-U Defense looks at past incidents and potential threats, training students, staff and parents on how their mindset could affect the outcome.”We wanted to correct all of the challenges. But it started with understanding where the weaknesses were,” Choate said. >> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <
With the start of the school year just weeks away, some districts are rethinking their approach to safety.
“Before education, school safety is the most important thing that we really do,” said Mascenic Regional School District Superintendent Elizabeth Pogorzelski.
Mascenic is one of 30 schools in the state to enroll in Blue-U Defense’s new “Active Shooter 2.0” program, created by the New Hampshire-based security company.
“The landscape of school safety has changed significantly, so I think that we do need to be ready,” Pogorzelski said. “And, the standardized programs that we’ve been using just really weren’t cutting it.”
The program, designed by two Granite State police officers, encourages schools to rethink how they respond during active shooter situations.
“It is absolutely necessary for people to see reality,” said Terry Choate Jr., president and co-founder of Blue-U Defense.
Blue-U Defense looks at past incidents and potential threats, training students, staff and parents on how their mindset could affect the outcome.
“We wanted to correct all of the challenges. But it started with understanding where the weaknesses were,” Choate said.
>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<
The program emphasizes the importance of communication.
Now, all staff members have two-way radios to provide live updates on a threat’s location inside the school.
“During that critical incident, that’s going to improve our response time and how we maneuver through a building,” said New Ipswich Police Chief Michael Abel.
Part of the program looks at each classroom to identify weaknesses and create a personalized plan for responding to an active shooter situation.
Before joining the program, the school’s active shooter training was online.
Pogorzelski said the topic is difficult to discuss, but leaves educators and students feeling more prepared and empowered.
“We have staff that get upset when we start talking about mass casualty incidents and protecting your students. However, every staff member understands the importance of my role in this, in the need to be prepared. It’s uncomfortable to talk about, but we need to be prepared for it,” Pogorzelski said.
In a statement to News 9, Homeland Security and Emergency Management said:
“The Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management works with schools across the state on a regular basis to increase awareness about emergency preparedness. Our agency encourages schools to work in partnership with their local first responders to conduct trainings and exercises on their emergency operations plans to be prepared for all hazards that may arise. New Hampshire school districts are required by law to conduct one active assailant drill a year, which can be discussion based.
A total of $23.8 million in funding has been allocated to schools in recent years as part of the Security Action for Education (SAFE) grants program, which has been used to enhance access control, emergency alerting and surveillance for about 600 school projects statewide. An additional $10 million was included in the new budget for the Public School Infrastructure Commission to assign to even more school safety initiatives.”
[ad_2]
Source link