Page 35 - spaces4learning, Summer 2022

for military vehicles. As an added bonus, they could even protect occupants from the most powerful EF-5 tornado, since the pods had originally been designed as tornado shelters.
Without delay, we installed these safety pods in every class- room so that, should a shooter gain access to one of the school buildings (or if a tornado approached the campus), all students and staff could be safely shielded within seconds. We also in- stalled larger pods in our cafeteria (to protect 175 occupants), gym, band room and library to further fortify the safety of our students and staff.
Interestingly, the Final Report of the Federal Commission on School Safety, released on December 18, 2018, in response to the Parkland tragedy, recommended the creation of “secure places within classrooms where students and teachers can shel- ter in the case of an active shooter.”
How proud we were to have already put this wise recom- mendation in place!
“Run-Shelter-Wait”
After the Sandy Hook shooting, the FBI came up with the “run- hide-fight” protocol as a response measure for anyone confronted by an active shooter.
Although this measure does provide a basic response frame- work and is certainly better than doing nothing, it can now be vastly improved upon with the presence of the safety pods we found. The “run-hide-fight” response potentially puts indi- viduals in danger, as it recommends that they should first run (which is essential) and hide somewhere
(the “somewhere” may not be imme-
diately accessible nor provide adequate
protection) and, if discovered, be pre-
pared to fight an armed assailant. Hard-
ly an ideal solution, especially for young
children.
Nevertheless, the use of classroom safety pods in schools adds a superior level of protection that will at least mitigate the number of victims—and could potentially eliminate them altogether. In addition, students, parents and teachers can now be imbued with a newfound peace of mind that, prior to now, was virtually unattainable.
Gracie, one of our former high-school students, revealed when interviewed that she felt “safer at school than I did at home” since the addition of safety pods on our campus. One parent said, “I’m so glad my children are here so they and I can have the peace of mind knowing that whether it’s a tornado or a nut with a gun, my kids are protected!”
Unexpectedly, our student enrollment has increased by more than 20 percent since the installation of the safety pods. Many parents have told me personally the reason they chose our dis- trict was due largely to the presence of our safety pods. Parents desperately want to send their kids to a school they feel is safe.
Thinking “It Won’t Happen Here”
is Dangerous
On June 9, 2022, a potential intruder at an elementary school in Gadsden, Ala., was shot and killed by a police officer. The superintendent said, “You don’t think that something like this is going to happen at your school.” There is no place for such a potentially deadly fallacy, which is all too common among school administrators. It must change. Lives are at stake.
Since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012, there have been 944 incidents of gunfire on school grounds,
The utilization of immediately ac-
cessible safety pods, however, now al-
lows the creation of a superior active
shooter response protocol: “run-shelter-
wait.” Those in harm’s way first run to
a nearby safety pod, shelter from the danger, and wait in safety for help to arrive.
The key improvement is the “hide” versus “shelter” step. Hiding places (like in a closet, under a desk, or huddled in a corner) can turn people into sitting ducks. However, a safety pod is designed to provide immediate, near-absolute protec- tion—clearly, a superior option expressly designed to save pre- cious lives.
Save Lives—Add Peace of Mind
The above claim notwithstanding, let me frankly acknowledge that no one, and no measure, can absolutely guarantee that there will be no victims from an active shooter event in a school. Variable and unpredictable circumstances (such as faulty or non-existent alert systems) may contribute to less-than-perfect outcomes.
killing 321 victims! School adminis- trators cannot ever think that a school shooting will not happen on their cam- pus. Who of us would buy a new car without seatbelts or air bags? We don’t anticipate having an accident each time we drive, but we do acknowledge and prepare for the possibility. It’s the sensi- ble thing to do, and the precaution does save lives.
When you are charged with the safe- ty of someone else’s kids, you must similarly prepare for the worst. School shootings will continue to happen. No one knows when or where the next one will be. But this much we do know: It will happen again on someone’s campus. School districts
must accept this reality and prepare for it.
Combining this acceptance with the creation of immediate
access to safe places in the classroom is the formula that will keep students and staff from becoming sitting ducks during an active shooter event. Administrators and school boards, if you employ this formula, you will sleep well at night knowing your students and staff have the best chance of surviving a school shooting.
Dennis Truxler has spent the past 25 years as a school adminis- trator and currently serves as the superintendent of the Quitman, Ark., school district. He also drives a school bus and coaches the girls’ volleyball team.
WHEN YOU ARE CHARGED WITH THE SAFETY OF SOMEONE ELSE’S KIDS, YOU MUST SIMILARLY PREPARE FOR THE WORST.
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