The Frontier Central School District in Hamburg is stepping up its emergency plans. It will be holding an 'active shooter drill' this spring. WBFO's Focus on Education Reporter Eileen Buckley says the schools superintendent wants to make sure his district is prepared for major emergencies.
"We need to do diligence, as school leaders, because we are not experts in big emergencies," said Bret Apthrope, Schools Superintendent in the Frontier Central School District.
The district is working with the FBI, Hamburg Police and Erie County Sheriff's Office to hold the safety drill this April 21st at the Frontier Central High School.
"So it is really important for us, and for the safety of our students to partner with the first responders, who are the experts and it's important for us to go through these drills with them, so that we can learn internally how we can be better at keeping our kids safe," said Apthrope.
Superintendent Apthrope said the landscape first changed for schools with the Columbine High School massacre. That happened almost 17-years ago. But in 2012 there was the deadly Sandy Hook Elementary shootings.
"For us, these opportunities help us test those internal communication skills," noted Apthrope. "It really is about emergency communication with our first responders."
But Apthrope said it not preparing for only a shooter, but the drill is a good way for schools to learn about how to handle any major emergency that they could be faced with.
"Snovember -- last year our school district had six feet of snow and if that snow span had happened two hours later, we would have had 5,000 students snowed into their school buildings," Apthrope recalled.
The active shooter drill should help the school district vet out emergency protocols.
