School shootings are unfortunately a reality educational professionals, law enforcement, parents, students and society as a whole are trying to grapple with.
To ensure that they are prepared should an emergency situation arise, Wakefield Community Schools have been running drills with the staff and students for five years. This year's crisis drill, which took place Thursday morning, was more complicated and involved than ever before, but that's the way Wakefield superintendent Mark Bejot likes it.
"Practice does improve your process," Bejot said. "It takes a lot of coordination and that's also been a positive learning experience working with emergency management. God forbid it should ever happen but if it does we've got practice in there and know what things to encounter. Every time we find new things that we didn't consider."
This year's crisis drill was an armed intruder scenario. An officer fired both a rifle blank in the gym and a handgun blank down one of the school's hallways.
Bejot said drills using blank gun shots were a little scary, especially for the elementary students at first, but said his staff has done a great job of explaining the situation and dispelling fear for all of the students. As soon as the first shot sounded, 470 students, faculty and staff went into lock down procedure.
Wayne County emergency manager Nic Kemnitz said making the drills as realistic as possible helps the school and the responders.
"The life-like (atmosphere) helps the students to understand the event if something were to occur," Kemnitz said. "It also helps the officers prepare for the stressful situations that could arise."
In the past, staff and students knew when the drill was happening. This year, to make it more realistic, the time wasn't pre-planned, so a handful of students were out in the halls. Several minutes after the first shot, Wayne County deputies did an initial sweep of the school looking for "intruders." From there, law enforcement went from classroom to classroom unlocking doors and sending students safely out of the building.
"The identification and going through the rooms...just seemed like the processes were so much better defined and completed," Bejot said. "We got through the building in probably the shortest time in all the drills we've done."
After students were cleared they walked to one of two "reunification centers," a safe place off school grounds where parents can pick up their children. This year law enforcement and emergency management agencies also tested out a new parental identification program that will aid in the reunification process. While there's always room for improvement, both Kemnitz and Bejot said they were happy with Thursday's drill.
"Every crisis drill that's conducted helps our students, our staff, our emergency personnel improve their skills," Bejot said. "It was amazing to me to watch and think about the various drills we've had and how much improvement has occurred by all the partners involved in the process."
Wakefield Community Schools have been exceptionally proactive about drilling for the worst case scenarios in the building and that hasn't gone unnoticed by officials.
"Wakefield has been pretty progressive and we appreciate that," Kemnitz said.
Dixon, Wayne and Dakota County Sheriffs' offices, Emerson Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol and Dixon and Wayne County Emergency Management representatives were on hand for the drill. Three Wayne State College Criminal Justice students also participated as "actors" who tried to blend in with the students. They were quickly discovered by law enforcement and "apprehended" as teachers were fast to spot extra people amongst their students.
Parent who were able to pick up their children after 11:30 took them home, otherwise, school dismissed at 2 p.m.
