Rappahannock School Board urges county emergency o cials to expand active shooter trainings
RAPPAHANNOCK COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD:
“The importance of these types of exercises cannot be over-emphasized, particularly in the wake of school shooting tragedies like the horrible incident in Uvalde, Texas.”
The Rappahannock County School Board on Tuesday unanimously approved sending a letter to the county ffice of Emergency Management, urging leaders to expand tranings for county sta and volunteers to respond effectively in the event of an active shooter situation at the schools.
The letter follows concerns raised last month by the School Board — chiefly Wakefield District member Chris Ubben, a Rappahannock County Sheriff's Office deputy and a former school resource officer — that the school and supporting county agencies are not adequately prepared to confront a potentially armed assailant.
The School Board hopes that by organizing training and planning sessions with county emergency response officials, the sheriff’s office and rescue squad and re company volunteers, the community could be better equipped to prevent a tragedy like the May school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which became the second deadliest in American history.
“The importance of these types of exercises cannot be over-emphasized, particularly in the wake of school
shooting tragedies like the horrible incident in Uvalde, Texas,” said the letter that was sent to Emergency Services Coordinator Sean Polster. “The complete systematic breakdown of communication and lack of collaborative
practice exercises led to a tragic loss of life that may have been prevented had agencies worked together and reiterated the importance of school safety protocols with all school staff and emer-gency first responders at all levels.”
The letter calls for county support of a “full-scale” active shooter simulation with participation from all relevant emergency response personnel. “This kind of exercise would be invaluable for all parties,” the letter said. The letter also arrived in the aftermath of a local crisis management seminar hosted by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) in June to discuss best practices for responding to emergencies in school, including active shooter situations. The School Board in the letter urged Polster to host more events of the sort.
“We understand that VDEM’s a er action recommendations are to continue down this path and we are strongly in support of helping coordinate with local and regional agencies to further strengthen our safety protocols and ability to respond quickly and appropriately,” the letter said.
Rappahannock schools are no stranger to emergency threats. In 2017, two students reportedly plotted to commit acts of violence at Rappahannock County High School on the anniversary of the 1999 school shooting at Columbine High School.
Earlier this year, authorities received what what wound up being a faulty tip of a person, alleging to be a student, contacting a suicide hotline and indicating they had access to a gun and were planning to harm themselves.
“We’ve had some near misses in this county,” Ubben said at a meeting in July, urging the School Board to take further action to prevent a potential shooting.
The details of the school’s current plans to respond to an active shooter remain unclear. Superintendent Dr. Shannon Grimsley has previously said the plans are con dential, but noted
that acronym they outlining use “ALICE steps Training,” for students an and teachers to combat active shooters in classrooms and eventually flee the building.
Following the May seminar, Grimsley, who has children in the school system, assured she was confident in the schools’ response playbook.
APPROVAL OF ‘GIFTED AND TALENTED’ PLAN
The School Board unanimously approved a ve-year plan to guide the schools on how to nurture gifted students in the schools.
The plan, created by Instructional Technology Resource Teacher Beth Seeley, outlines how the schools will identify, screen and foster students of “outstanding talent who perform or show potential to perform at outstanding levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment.”
Gifted students will be identified based on grades, test scores, interviews and other checklists. The goal is to provide them with rigorous academic coursework in coordination with teachers and a gifted education specialist, along with specialized experiences like the governor’s school.
HONORING OF LATE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER
The body also unanimously ap
proved a resolution honoring former Rappahannock County Sheriff’s Office Captain and School Resource Officer Jeffrey H. Brown, who died at his Warren County home in July.
Brown, retired from serving in the Sheriff’s Office in 2008 then served as a part time court baili in the county until 2017, was the rst school resource o cer ever assigned to Rappahannock County Public Schools. He was also a DARE instructor for more than 20 years.
“Brown has made a long lasting impact on all the individuals he has encountered by dedicating countless hours ensuring their safety and well-being; and whereas, he was a positive influence for students, staff , and the community who he vowed to protect, honor, and serve,” the resolution said.
The School Board will present the resolution to Brown’s family at its September meeting.