Upon Further Review

One of the things they don't teach you at Superintendent School, is what to do in the face of a threat and/or a crisis.  There's a red handbook that sits on my shelf, that I reach for once I am made aware of a situation.  That handbook has an index that allows me to flip to the right page, and a checklist that I can review with the building principal as well as emergency responders once they arrive on the scene.  The checklists almost always conclude with the Communication Coordinator - after the determination has been made that there is no longer a threat to students, faculty, and staff.

Yet we live in a world of constant information and instant news.  During our most recent incident at Montpelier High School on September 12, due to the nature of the threat, there was a perimeter set up by the local police department.  One of the local news teams happened to be driving by, took a picture of the police officer blocking the driveway to the high school, and posted it on Facebook.

We live in a world of constant communication and connectivity.  During our most recent incident, the City Manager (as well as other parents in town) were alerted to the situation by their children texting and e-mailing them from their iPhones, BlackBerrys and other devices.

While I was still working with our first responders and our team in the high school, some members of our community already had the information that we were in a lockdown.  I only shared information after the incident was over and I had all the facts clear.

My sole focus during those situations is the safety of the students, faculty, and staff.  Yet, if I ignore the reality of connectivity and communication in our world, I am allowing those elements to dictate a reactive response from the school.

I don't have the right answer - and I don't know the right answer.  I want to engage our community and my Professional Learning Network in the conversation.  When a situation like this occurs, my goal is to communicate  that appropriate and necessary steps are being taken to ensure the safety of our students, faculty, and staff.  In meeting that goal, I don't want to create a situation that redirects our first responders from their primary work in the building and turns them into traffic and/or crowd control.

I know as a Dad that I have people's most precious things in the world in these buildings - that is a responsibility I take very seriously.  My most precious things are in the care of someone else - and I feel confident that those educators take that responsibility seriously as well.

Upon further review, I want to do things better the next time there is a next time.