MSBSD tests preparedness with multi-agency active shooter drill

Students, teachers, and administrators in schools all across the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District (MSBSD) participate in active shooter drills at least once a year, using the ALICE (Alert Lockdown Inform Counter Evacuate) protocol for reacting to emergency situations—providing training and practice in case the worst were to happen.

On October 11, the MSBSD, along with multiple agencies in the Mat-Su Borough, stepped up preparedness, participating in a training exercise focused on an active shooter in a high school.

Coordinated by Wasilla Police Department Chief William Rapson, MSBSD along with law enforcement and first responders from WPD, Palmer Police Department, Alaska State Troopers, Central Mat-Su Fire, West Lakes Fire, the Red Cross, and the Mobile Crisis Unit, to name a few, all joined in to test their individual responses and responses.

Deputy Superintendent Katie Gardner said it was important to utilize this scenario because it presents a challenge to practice and prepare in case something like this takes place in real life.

“From the school district’s perspective, we do a number of emergency drills throughout the year, whether they’re fire drills, earthquake drills. And this is a drill that’s really hard to simulate, with the fear, the emotion, and really understand how to respond with other agencies is going to play, so having partners and being able to participate with first responders and law enforcement will give us a better idea of what is going to happen in real-life scenarios so that we can modify our protocols, learn from it and figure out how best to prepare schools, students, families, and staff…in the event that this happens in real life.”

Alaska has no specific statewide requirement for the frequency of active shooter drills. While there is no state mandate, it is common practice for schools to conduct drills at least once a year. According to the 2019 Keeping Schools Safe Annual Report, the MSBSD has taken multiple steps to ensure that students and staff are ready in the event of an incident involving school violence, from installing special lockdown doors to cameras and intercoms to screen visitors. The Wasilla Police Department and the Palmer Police Department also have agreements with the school district to cover several school communities with School Resource Officers.

Preparedness also includes periodic, recurring site assessments by trained safety and security personnel. During the fall semester of each school year, safety and security personnel complete an annual site assessment of each MSBSD facility. This assessment includes a review of all safety and security measures at schools including drills, communications equipment and various safety and security infrastructure at each site. Shortfalls are noted, with follow-ups scheduled to address items noted during the inspection. All MSBSD schools complete monthly fire drills and ALICE, bomb, and earthquakes drills each semester. MSBSD employs safety and security coordinators at each large comprehensive high school.

While the temperatures and wind typical of October in Alaska may have thwarted others from conducting this type of drill, Gardner says there were some key reasons to have this type of drill during the school year versus the summer.

“During the school year, people are focused on schools. It is more relevant.” She said that in Alaska, people have to be more cognizant of the weather, adding that while it is only mid-October, it helps the MSBSD keep in mind how the surroundings and access to responders might change “We’re working with colder temperatures and darker conditions, and our external environment makes some of the planning unique.” She points to challenges that could be presented with reunification and keeping students and staff safe even in the aftermath. “Having this happen during the school year and during the winter months helps make this a more relevant exercise.”

Chief Rapson echoed the benefits of doing this type of drill during the school year “The benefit is identifying the areas that we need to really work on. How do we improve? What can we do better? What resources are we missing? What are the things that we are doing well, and what are the things we aren’t doing very well?”

One takeaway Gardner hopes people will have from the drill is seeing the partnership the district has with law enforcement agencies and first responders “That is a partnership that is developed on a daily basis. We have individuals in schools who are helping support student safety all the time.”

She said from the school district’s perspective, preparations included having volunteers participate, from school nurses, school administrator, school safety personnel, public information officer, all agreeing to give up part of their Saturday to learn, but more importantly, feel what it might be like in real life. “We appreciate people’s willingness to give up their time on a Saturday to learn more about this scenario so that we can share that experience with all of our administrators, all of our staff, and feel more prepared.”

“We live in a world of preparation, and if I’m not preparing or have enough foresight to move forward, of how that’s going to look, then we’re not doing anybody any good,” said Chief Rapson.

Gardner also hopes that people seeing their participation in the drill and desire in learning how to be more prepared helps to reinforce the idea that student safety is something the MSBSD abides by daily.

“I hope that they know that we’re taking it seriously, that we’re working with experts, we’re working with partners to help ensure that students are safe when they come our buildings every day,” she said, adding, “We say pretty frequently that education is our mission, but student safety is our top priority.”