Over the past couple years, programs like the 4E training the St. Charles School District participates in have become more important than ever. The 4E training started a couple of years ago with the SCSD staff and has been recently implemented for students as well. The 4E training teaches students and staff what to do if there’s an intruder in the building.
“It’s the combination of knowledge, preparation, and the use of safety protocols/tools that keeps our schools the safest possible way,” said Sefrit.
At SCHS, Officer Jason Love has been teaching the training to the students and has had success with it so far.
SCSD also uses The SafeDefend Personnel Protection System. The Safe Defend boxes are placed in all the classrooms in the school and include a biometric activated device that teachers can open with their fingerprint. The boxes contain gel pepper spray, a baton with a window break, trauma kit, safety vest, flex cuffs, high-intensity strobe flashlight and a whistle. Once the school safety solution is activated, an alert is sent to a monitoring company. An alert is also sent to staff to begin the lockdown procedures and to law enforcement with the building and room number where the system was activated.
When teachers receive this alert, there are a few main steps that they follow to make sure the students and staff are as safe as they can be. First, the teachers check their emails and listen for further information about what is going on. Then, they check that the doors are locked and turn off the lights. Depending on the information teachers have received, they then figure out if doors need to be barricaded. Last, the teachers check to make sure students are out of sight and wait for follow up information.
FACS teacher Elizabeth Laley believes that we have a good start, but we still have a lot to improve when it comes to preparing students for intruder situations.
“I don’t think we are preparing students for if this really happened, … we have conversations but conversations only get us so far.”
Laley’s suggestions for improvement include having more real-life situations during the drills. This would allow students to be more prepared, especially if students were separated from their teacher. One of Laley’s suggestions for further preparation is to practice barricading doors. In general, she believes that the drills need to be more in depth than just an announcement saying we are going on lockdown and make sure your doors are locked.
“I want to know that I have given you all the best opportunity at creating a safe space for yourselves,” said Laley.
