Taking a look at USD 457 school security following Florida shooting

Garden City, KS(westernkansasnews.com) Following the shooting that killed 17 students at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida we spoke with Garden City schools and the Garden City Police Department about security for schools.

On Tuesday Garden City High School got an accidental test run. One of the panic buttons on the wall was accidentally triggered and the school was locked down for less than ten minutes. In that time frame officers arrived at the school and verified it was a false alarm.

Public Information Coordinator for USD 457 Roy Cessna says the district is always looking to improve their security.

“We’re always training, our number one goal is to have a safe and positive learning environment,” said Cessna, “it really is a board goal to provide a secure and well maintained, because a safe environment promotes a positive learning environment.”

Cessna also said the district continually tests, evaluates and improves the safety and security plans. Garden City Police works with the schools with the crisis plan and keep it up to date, which they always try to improve on.

Garden City Schools also has four resource officers in the district two at the high school and one at each middle school. Those officers will also visit other schools in the district when needed. The officers provide security and crime prevention services, but also mentor and conduct presentations like drug awareness.

USD 457 has put in the ALICE protocol, which is short for alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate. The protocol is also referred to as run, hide, fight. The protocol helps to empower the students and staff to react to different and unique safety situations. The Garden City Police Department advocated that the school use the plan.

Cessna also says that the schools and police do training to prepare for an active shooter scenario.

“It helps us be prepared if a safety situation like in Florida were to occur. We take every threat serious and will investigate every threat, we encourage anyone that receives any information about school safety related incidents to report them to administration, schools, staff or Garden City Police. School safety takes everyone to keep us safe,” said Cessna.

Garden City Police is also promoting “If You See Something, Say Something.” The slogan is meant for people who see or hear something that could endanger people to speak up about it and report it.

Police Captain Randy Ralston said they do everything they can to prepare.

“We train with other agencies and our local agencies with the highway patrol, the Finney County Sheriff’s Office and Holcomb Police for responses to those kind of security issues,” said Ralston.