The brand new joint school facility was on lockdown Nov. 21.
Fortunately, it was just a drill.
The exercise was an opportunity for the staff, teachers and students from both École Desrochers and the Jasper Junior/Senior High School to put their SAFE plan into action and for the Jasper RCMP to see how it’s enacted, so it’s prepared to respond to a potential threat.
SAFE stands for School Action For Emergencies and was created in 2007 as a proactive measure to combat potentially tragic situations in schools. It was spurred on by events like the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999 and Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 2007, or closer to home in Taber, Alta. in 1999, where a 14-year-old boy opened fire inside W.R. Myers High School, killing a 17-year-old student and injuring another.
Every year the Jasper RCMP meets with each of the schools to update their plans.
A brand new plan is being developed for the new joint school facility. That plan will include everything from the school’s floor plans to photos of every room, hallway and closet in the building, as well as the safety procedures taken by the schools—and all of that information is available on the laptops in the RCMP patrol cars.
According to Corp. Ryan Gardiner, the drill was a continuation of that planning process.
Gardiner said it’s important for the schools to hold drills, so that they’re prepared in the case of a serious incident.
“If you practice it you’re going to be better in a real scenario. It’s a pretty tense situation if you’re calling a lockdown, so for people who haven’t practiced it and are all of a sudden thrown into the scenario, it’s going to be harder for them to make the right decisions.”
It was also a helpful exercise for the RCMP, because it allowed the officers to observe the schools’ processes and offer guidance, as well as explain to some of the younger students why it’s important to listen to their teachers during an emergency.
“It’s important for [the kids] to know that you can’t just run around, you’ve got to listen to your teacher and if you listen to your teacher it’s going to maximize your safety and the safety of your fellow students.”
It was also a good experience for the teachers, he said, because it solidified their role during a lockdown situation.
“They play a pretty big role in those initial minutes, seconds of a lockdown. The actions that they take directly impact the safety of everybody in the building.”
Following the drill, Gardiner said he’s confident in the ability of the staff, teachers and students in both schools.
Nicole Veerman
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