After the tragic Sandy Hook shooting in December, Welches resident Dan
Thompson and his wife heard a rumor of a possible threat to Sandy High
School and decided to keep their daughter, who goes to school there, home
the following day.

“I wouldn’t take the chance with my kid,” Thompson said. “Why would you
take that risk, even if it’s a rumor?”

Oregon Trail School District Communications Director Julia Monteith confirmed
that a rumor circulated among students at Sandy High School, was fully
investigated by the Sandy Police Department and “not validated.” Monteith
added that parents were notified and the police assigned extra officers to
patrol district schools that week.

Thompson – who spent 31 years as a police officer with the Multnomah
County Sheriff’s Office and the Portland Police Bureau, was a member of the
district’s board of directors for approximately four years and worked as the
district safety officer for approximately two years – sees the potential for a
tragedy like that to happen again and wonders if everyone is prepared for
such an event.

“These shootings throughout the nation, since the 20s have taken less than
15 minutes,” said Thompson, 60. “Usually the intent of the shooter, it’s a
suicidal event, and they want to take as many people as they can. As soon as
they hear the police siren ... they’ll commit suicide.

“Sandy (Police Department) does a good job; they’re not going to get there
on time,” he added.

The district, however, notes that much has changed since Thompson left his
job in 2010, including the development of an emergency operations plan in
preparation for a wide range of events.

“Oregon Trail School District is progressive in developing crisis preparedness
and response strategies,” said district superintendent Aaron Bayer in a
statement. “Over the past three years we have collaborated with emergency
response agencies, developed protocols, upgraded security, participated in
FEMA training, and engaged in table top exercises designed to test our ability
to respond in a variety of crisis scenarios. Planning for the safety and security
of our students and staff is an on-going process - and a district priority.”

Various concerns
While Thompson noted he “really likes” the new high school building that
opened this school year, he sees security risks in it, including classrooms with
large glass windows on the inside (although windows are outfitted with
blinds), outside door handles that will accommodate being chained off and
while the three classroom wings are locked when classes are in session,
Thompson fears an accomplice could open doors from the inside to give a
shooter access to other parts of the building. The Welches schools, Thompson
added, could have added issues with response times, as law enforcement
officials could be miles away at the time of an event.

Thompson suggested arming an unidentified teacher, trained on a six-month
basis, as a good deterrent from an attack, and also forming a volunteer group
of retired police officers to patrol school grounds when buses are dropping off
or picking up students.

“I think that is the best way to protect our schools,” Thompson said. “We need
some kind of deterrent inside our school.”

Monteith noted, however, that the district has not been approached by retired
police officers to form a volunteer force yet, and district policy, in accordance
with state and federal law, does not allow for people to “bring, possess,
conceal or use a weapon” on district property.

Student Resource Officer Kevin Way, a member of the Sandy Police
Department stationed at the high school and who visits all district schools on
an “as need” basis, is allowed to carry his police-issued weapon.

Thompson is also concerned about other emergencies, including earthquakes,
that could hit a school. He noted a lockdown drill his daughter experienced
two years ago when water was unavailable and school administrators “didn’t
have any bathroom figured out.”

And if a major earthquake hits, Thompson noted, it would have a dramatic
impact on how the district communicates with parents.

“What we need to do is get a plan; if we can’t get a hold of you, this is where
a child is going to be,” Thompson said.

Since Thompson’s departure from the district, Monteith noted the
development of the emergency operations plan (first approved by the board of
directors in 2011 and recently revised), including protocols for sheltering-in-
place (including assistance to those needing a bathroom), while the district is
in the process of distributing classroom emergency kits, including crank
flashlights, plastic bags, toilet paper and first aid supplies, to every school.

And to help in communication in the event of an earthquake, or similar
disaster, the new high school features a generator to supply power for
“several days,” the district’s phone system has backup power that can last up
to two hours and the district would utilize the City of Sandy’s ham radio
system (AM 1660).

Monteith also confirmed that Welches schools, Sandy High and Boring Middle
school have all conducted a lockdown drill since the Sandy Hook tragedy.

Diligence needed
Thompson noted that in his 31 years as a police officer, he never stopped a
shooting from happening, but he arrived many times right after it happened.
He sees diligence as a necessary step to help stopping a tragedy from
happening before it starts, even as simple as a group of teachers or
volunteers who walk school grounds.

“You don’t have to have an armed guard at your school, but you do have to
be mentally armed, alert,” Thompson said. “Bad guys don’t like people who
are alert.”

The district noted a variety of other ways its staff are prepared for all types of
emergencies, including required National Incident Management System
courses for all administrators and supervisors, an emergency response team
trained by the SPD and Sandy Fire District at each school, two meetings each
month for all administrators to take part in tabletop exercises on different
crisis situations (earthquakes, bus accident, active shooter and more) and a
week-long Federal Emergency Management Agency multi-hazard emergency
training session for administrators and supervisors (SPD and SFD were also in
attendance).

In addition, state law requires every school to have monthly fire and
earthquake drills, while each school in the district holds at least one lockdown
drill per year.

Monteith added that the SFD has provided earthquake response training and
triage training to district staff, while the new high school has a number of
safety features, including security cameras, a one-button lockdown system
and a card-lock identification system.

SPD Chief Kim Yamashita noted that after she was hired in 2010, the
department conducted a survey of all district schools, whether or not in the
SPD jurisdiction, and made recommendations to the district (a survey has also
been done on the new high school). She meets with Bayer monthly to discuss
concerns and trained her officers in responding to an active shooter event
(which district staff attended).

“What I really appreciate about our relationship is how open they are to our
suggestions and input,” said Yamashita, who noted her officers will respond to
any school if there is a threat to life. “It tells me how seriously they take the
safety and security at the schools. They’re always soliciting more.”