Iron County Schools Follow Five Clear Steps When Emergencies Strike
As students return to classrooms across Iron County, school safety remains a priority for the Iron County School District, which has adopted standardized emergency response protocols designed to give students, teachers, administrators and first responders a common language when dealing with a crisis.
Roy Mathews, executive director of secondary schools, and Zach Tuttle, the district’s safety and security coordinator, discussed the district’s approach to school safety during an interview on the Big Picture Morning Show on KSUB.
Mathews said the district follows the Standard Response Protocol developed by the “I Love U Guys” Foundation, which uses five basic responses: Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate and Shelter.
“Yeah, Pretty much across the state of Utah, the I Love You Guys Foundation. I don't think there's any schools left in the state that don't follow those standard response protocols of lock down, hold, secure, and evacuate. Those are pretty standard throughout the state. And I think that common language is one of the things that helps secure our students.”
Different Terms Apply To Individual Situations
Tuttle explained that the terminology is designed to distinguish between different types of emergencies. A Hold is generally used for a nonviolent emergency, while a Secure is intended for a threat or potential threat outside the school building. A Lockdown applies when the threat is inside the building.
“It's very important that I think we as a community, as well as first responders, as well as educators, we all use the same language,” Tuttle said. “And it's kind of hard. It's changing verbiage we've used for the last two decades into something that actually makes more sense, but it's still changing habits that are pretty established.”
The district’s security measures also include go bags and individual first-aid kits in classrooms. During an evacuation, staff members are trained to bring a roll sheet and go bag when appropriate, lead students to an evacuation location, account for students and adults, and report injuries or problems.
Tuttle said the go bags can include water, food and other supplies tailored to individual student needs. Teachers may also have individual first-aid kits designed to provide frontline care for traumatic injuries.
Mathews acknowledged that older school buildings present challenges because they were not designed around today’s security practices.
“We want to be inviting. We don't, you don't want your schools to feel like a prison,” he said.
Read More: How Would A Four Day Week Work For Iron County Schools?
The district is looking at improvements such as vestibules that provide greater control over building entrances while attempting to maintain an inviting school environment.
“It's that balancing act,” Mathews said. “There are challenges and we'll do our best to meet those challenges.”
The district also has a public information officer responsible for communicating with parents during emergencies through email and the district’s mass communication system. Tuttle said additional information about the district’s security protocols is available online, and parents and community members with questions about school security can contact him through the district.
You can listen to the entire discussion with Mathews and Tuttle in the podcast below.
20 Things They Should Teach in High School But They Don't
Gallery Credit: Billy Jenkins
More From KSUB 590/107.3
