Local school administrators say they are ready for emergency situations

The massacre at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school -- one which left 21 dead -- marked the nation's 27th school shooting in 2022, according to Education Week.

Schools' handling of active shooters, an increasingly familiar aspect of American school safety in recent years, is once again dominating national politics.

When Josh Crowell, assistant superintendent for Cape Girardeau Public Schools, and Jeff Worley, assistant principal of Notre Dame Regional High School, first entered the field of education more than two decades ago, school shootings were not a common concern.

"This wasn't at the forefront of our minds back then," Crowell said.

Both administrators described preparation for a potential active shooter as a constant process -- looking into weaknesses, having conversations on options, evaluating and updating drills and security.

"You have to constantly reevaluate, and hopefully close, any open vulnerabilities," Worley said.

The assistant principal said that can be as simple as focusing on making sure unsupervised doors are locked or adding a resource officer, which the school did in 2013, in part for security in case of an active shooter.

Crowell has been a certified ALICE trainer for five years. The name is an acronym for important steps to take in an emergency situation alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate. ALICE is a federally backed program focused on school safety during active shooter events.

Crowell not only helps evaluate preparedness and safety for Cape Girardeau Public Schools but for schools across the state through Missouri School Board Association's Center for Educational Safety. He helps evaluate schools' safety and security and conducts training to improve their preparedness.

"We tend to look at a baseline of what they have and then also offer suggestions on 'You may want to look at these practices, these policies or these deterrents as your community allows or your district allows,'" Crowell said.

The approach is not always about making physical changes to entrances or adding more security cameras. It can include conducting behavioral risk assessment training or curriculum adjustments.

Crowell also alerts schools to grants to help pay for the proposed changes. The ALICE trainer said Cape Girardeau Public Schools has been "very fortunate" to receive Department of Justice grants to make improvements.

"It (school safety) has to have a holistic approach," Crowell said. "It's not just one facet that you have to look at."

The assistant superintendent wouldn't divulge specific improvements Cape Girardeau Public Schools have made, for security reasons, but said generally adjustments have been made to visitor and dismissal systems, among other things.

Recent shootings have brought on fears about the amount of school security information available to those who could do harm. Crowell said it's something he, and the district, have to keep an eye on. They make sure to much information isn't on the internet, allowing those who might do harm to prepare a plan of attack.

School shootings have not only brought on increased conversations about security but about the mental health of those who walk through school doors everyday.

"How could it not make you nervous about coming to school?" Worley said. "And that's not what school should be."

"You want students to feel welcome in the building, but you also want them to feel safe," Worley added.

Crowell said at the end of the day a lot of preparedness and safety is about creating trust. Making sure teachers, students and administrators trust that they are looking out for each other; that they have the safety of others as a high priority.

It's also been about creating trust with entities such as Cape Girardeau Police Department and the Community Counseling Center. Relationships that, he said, are vital to keeping the community safe.