Ames School District To Review Crisis Management and Emergency Plan in Wake of Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting in Newtown, CT

The policy committee of the Ames School Board plans to review its emergency and safety policies Tuesday in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown Connecticut.

The crisis management and emergency plan policies are first on the policy committee's agenda. The meeting starts at 1 p.m. and takes place in the Education Services Center on Stanton Avenue.

The board has several safety policies in place that have been updated since 2008. The crisis management policy was last updated in February.

Ames High School students have conducted intruder drills and the district is currently discussing training and drills specific to each building, said Kathy Hanson, director of school, community and media relations.

Security was one of the reasons the school district wanted to replace and renovate the district's current five elementary schools. The office at Meeker Elementary for example is quite a ways from the main entrance. That school will be replaced with a new building thanks to a bond referendum approved in April.

According to a district policy, each building is supposed to have a crisis management and emergency plan kept on file. The policy also called for a school communication network to be established that links classrooms and playground and parking lot supervisors, with front office and security staff. Visitors must sign in and students are to be taught to report suspicious individuals.

Over the weekend the district released a statement about the school shooting and reminded parents that the district does whatever it can to keep students safe at school. A portion of that statement follows below:

Those efforts include screening every volunteer, student teacher, etc., in our classrooms; reviewing safety-related policies; and working with local and county authorities to address various safety procedures in each of our schools as each has its own unique needs.

Additionally, we are thankful that our community has provided the opportunity to update our elementary schools. These updates and new construction will provide safety features including one-step lockdowns of exterior doors, and single-entry, to ensure office staff screen all school visitors once the school day has started.