The safety and security of children and students is at the forefront of conversation nationally since active shooter situations have increased, the most recent occurring last week at a Florida high school.
Locally, administrators at Three Rivers College (TRC) and Poplar Bluff R-1 said they are immersed in the discussion continuously and that each day, decisions and precautions are taken to reflect the best interest of students. Just this week, TRC President Dr. Wesley Payne and R-1 district superintendent Scott Dill locked down their respective campuses after a criminal manhunt began nearby.
While the calls are often not easy to make, both men said preparedness in the case of an emergency is of the utmost importance. Changes to the security program at TRC have enabled a more effective police presence on campus, and redesign of the buildings themselves have added additional security at R-1.
According to Payne, TRC utilizes the school resource officer (SRO) program through a partnership with the Poplar Bluff Police Dept. (PBPD), maintains a written emergency action plan, and employs coordinated response agreements with multiple law enforcement agencies.
"We made the decision to move from having our own police department to working with Poplar Bluff because we are not in the law enforcement business, we are in the education business," Payne said. "Our core competency is teaching people how to do things, trying to build a better future for them. It is not in providing police protection, or investigative services of that nature. That is the main core competency of the Poplar Bluff Police Department."
Payne said aside from consistent police activity on campus, a written emergency action plan and mutual aid agreements with the PBPD, Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the Butler County Sheriff's Dept., all add to the precautions taken by the college.
"So, if there is an incident on campus, they will all respond and our emergency action plan will go into effect. We have a written plan to deal with everything from minor injury, to active shooter, to natural disaster. We do training on these things. Every department has gone through at least one training session conducted by Mr. (Chuck) Stratton on active shooters."
Stratton, who is TRC's security director and a commissioned police officer, who retired in 2014 after a long career with PBPD, said internally, the college uses up-to-date camera and advanced radio notification systems, mass texting and emails, social media, and the school's website to announce potentially dangerous situations. Stratton said beyond that, he is able to lock down all exterior doors throughout the campus "in about 30 seconds" with the push of a button. The city's 911 dispatch center is also located directly beside Stratton's office, which draws officers in and out on a regular basis.
"You always think it could be better, and we're always striving to make it better," Stratton said. "But I feel confident."
Dill said a primary goal of the 2014 tax levy was to make the Poplar Bluff R-1 School District "a safer place" by enclosing most outdoor walkways and enhancing procedural security. Dill said on top of that, nearly every exterior door throughout the district remains locked at all times.
"We revisited our entry ways, our security systems, check-in, check-out procedures. All that has been revamped in service of student security," Dill said.
Like Three Rivers, R-1 utilizes the SRO program and has a city police officer stationed at the middle, junior high, and high schools. Poplar Bluff High School also has it's own security team independent of the PBPD.
"We are always looking at what and how we can do better," Dill said. "As we discover what we perceive to be deficiencies, we address those and then we keep improving. I think for all of us, in any educational institution, that's the process we're in right now. It has changed the way we look at our schools."
Dill said despite the precautions taken by the district, the greatest asset to Poplar Bluff schools is the nearness of the city's police and county's sheriff departments.
Aside from traditional security measures, the discussion of whether or not to arm teachers is rampant in today's media reporting. Payne said opinions on the issue are diverse and divergent of one another, but he takes his approach from a practical standpoint.
"I have no faith that a rule that says you cannot have guns or weapons or weapons of any kind on campus will stop anybody that wants to bring a gun on campus," Payne said. "I firmly believe that there are people everyday carrying concealed on virtually every campus in the United States. The very fact that it's concealed carry would indicate that you don't see it. I think from a practical standpoint, what the law does is take the most law abiding, the voluntarily compliant and keeps them from being armed. The law itself is ineffective."
Payne said in considering whether or not to arm teachers, the line between K-12 and college should not be blurred, adding that they are entirely different types of environments.
"The thing you have to look at, if you're going to carry a gun on campus, is does that make you responsible as part of the protective nature of our system," Payne said. "And if that is the case, then what training or preparation did you go through to be prepared to react appropriately. I don't think it makes sense to say anyone that wants to can carry a gun anymore than it makes sense to say anyone who wants to can drive."
Stratton's view as a seasoned law enforcement officer considers more than just the physical aspect of allowing teachers to carry weapons. Stratton said psychological preparation is, perhaps, even more important than physical.
"The parental instinct kicks in and you think about that person is somebody's child or somebody's brother," Stratton said. "When all that starts going through your mind, you have to be reactive and take action immediately. Then you get into the realm of after you've committed the act, how are you going to deal with that? Not everybody is prepared to handle it. Police go through a whole litany of things to make sure we're prepared and, still, there are some officers that just can't deal with it after they've had to do that."
Dill said his approach within the school system is to leave the decision in the hands of the school board and the community.
"This is one of those things that's been discussed for years now, unfortunately," Dill said. "I think that I'm reconciling myself to the fact that this business that I love and that I've done for a couple decades is changing. The world is changing."
Poplar Bluff R-1 Board of Education President John Scott said the safety and security of students begins with the district's faculty and staff.
"Our people are our best security," Scott said. "Being involved, knowing the students and recognizing any potential issue or threat is our first line of defense."
Scott said requiring all teachers to carry weapons is not the answer, but that he does support properly trained, licensed and supervised personnel to be armed on a voluntary basis.
"Unfortunately, these senseless acts of violence are a symptom of pervasive societal problems," Scott said. "There is really no quick or easy solution. Providing more security officers in the buildings is just one way to provide additional security."
TRC Board of Trustees Chairman Eric Schalk chose not to comment on the issue of arming teachers or college instructors. However, he said the safety of students, faculty and staff is paramount.
"Our emergency action plans are living, breathing documents," Schalk said. "As we hear about these incidents, we will address and adapt and try to stay one step ahead of the bad guys."
Schalk said a major difference between college and K-12 environments is that at TRC, a non-traditional student body allows attendance on a voluntary basis, whereas at a K-12 facility, students are required to be there.
"This is a very reactive situation," Schalk said. "All you can do is exactly what you can do."