For all of us in the Mountain community – especially parents of young school
children – Connecticut was no longer 3,000 miles away.

The unimaginable December attack that took the lives of 26 innocent people –
20 of whom were 6 and 7 years old – brought the horrible thought: could this
happen to us?

“Incidents like this always prompt us to re-assess our vulnerabilities,” Oregon
Trail School District Communications Director Julia Monteith wrote in an e-mail
to The Mountain Times.

“And we are in the process of doing that.”

OTSD Superintendent Aaron Bayer was quick to react, notifying local parents
in an attempt to reassure them that the district was doing what it could.

“Incidents like this make us all wonder about our own vulnerabilities,” Bayer
said. “Although it is not possible to control every situation, (OTSD) has been
proactive in preparing for potential crisis situations.”

Bayer went on to say the district has worked with local emergency response
agencies to develop an Emergency Response Plan to train key staff for
responding in a crisis. Staff and students regularly practice emergency drills,
and we have protocols in place for locking down our schools, relocating
students off campus, and reuniting families after a crisis. We are also
fortunate that citizens approved a bond measure in 2008 that allowed us to
make significant security improvements at every school in the district,
including automatic door-lock systems and security cameras.

“All of our administrators are NIMS trained,” Monteith added.

NIMS is the National Incident Management System which is considered the
standard of emergency planning for terrorist attacks
and other domestic disturbances.

Not surprisingly, Mountain parents of young school children have been shaken
by the Newtown tragedy.

“I cannot dwell on all of the tragedies of the world or I would never leave my

house or let my children out of my sight,” Andrea O’Neil, a parent of a 6-year-
old and a 7-year-old, told The Mountain Times. “I believe that anything
different is giving the attention to the wrong side of each story and doing
exactly what the scum bag (that perpetrated the violence) wanted.”

O’Neil does not believe we need extreme measures in our schools, but we
need to be smart.

“Every school has simple improvements that can and should be made,” she
said. “We owe it to our children to keep them safe.”

Suzy Brewster, a mother of four Welches students, admits that no one can be
completely prepared for something like Newtown.

“It makes you wonder ‘could that happen here?’” she said. “But having faith in
our school and its staff is something that you have to depend on when you
send your kids out to the bus in the morning. You give extra hugs and ‘I love
you’s’ and send them on their way, because living in fear won’t be good for
anyone. Ultimately, I encourage people to get involved, get to know the
teachers and administrators, meet your kids’ friends, and have faith in our
district.”

O’Neil summed it up.

“I pray for our children and our world.”