Habersham County schools are closed today for a teacher training day but there will be lots of activity at Habersham Central High School. State and local law enforcement will join educators there for an Active Shooter Drill. The drill will include several different scenarios involving an armed gunman entering the school and firing on students, as portrayed by HCHS drama students.
The drill is scheduled for 1:30-3:30 p.m. During that time there will be lots of law enforcement officers and emergency responders in the area of Habersham Central High School and the 9th Grade Academy on GA 197 South in Mt. Airy.
While it’s disturbing that such drills are necessary, it’s a sign of the times in which we live. Those involved in the drill say they hope they never have to use this training but if they do, they’ll be prepared.
READ: Active shooter drill scheduled Friday at Habersham Central High School
Now Habersham asked county school superintendent Matthew Cooper a series of questions about Friday’s drill. Here are his responses:
1) Has there ever been an active shooter drill in a Habersham County public school before?
After the terrible school shooting that took place in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, our school system hosted a law enforcement summit. We hosted numerous local and state law enforcement agencies and discussed ways that law enforcement agencies could work together in responding to incidents involving an active-shooter. Active shooter training for officers from all agencies involved resulted from that summit. That particular training was held at North Georgia Technical College. That training only involved members of law enforcement and did not involve any school system personnel. The drill planned for March 17th would be the first time that I am aware of where school system personnel have worked with local law enforcement agencies in an effort to jointly plan an active-shooter drill in a school.
2) What prompted this drill?
In the Habersham County School System we talk a lot about the safety of our students. Student safety rises high above all else and it is truly the top priority of all administrators in our school system. Since safety is our priority we are continually looking for opportunities to improve. As superintendent I have long had the vision for an active-shooter drill in which school system personnel and law enforcement agencies work together. I wanted the drill to take place in a school on a day when teachers were present but students were not. When Adam Bagwell became the director of our system safety team, he really got the ball rolling for the idea. I shared my vision with Mr. Bagwell, he liked it and began the planning process. Mr. Bagwell is a man of action and I recall him saying that he would get with GEMA, the Habersham EMA, and the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office and make it happen. While we believe our schools are safer than any around, we also know that we live in a world where bad people exist. We know that an act of violence can strike any school, public or private, and that bad things can happen in even the best of communities. We are willing to do whatever is necessary to keep our boys and girls safe.
3) As an educator and as a father, what do you hope will be achieved through Friday’s drill?
As a father, I want our school system to continually look for ways to improve safety in all our schools. I have two children who attend Habersham County schools each day. I cannot always be there to protect them and so I count on our system staff to look after my own children just like every other parent in our county. I often tell our leaders to think like a parent when it comes to safety. I am confident that this drill will create a greater sense of awareness and lead to a more effective level of preparedness for our system staff and local law enforcement agencies. The planning of this drill has already led to the improvement of our safety plans and processes. Some great conversations and questions have resulted from the planning of this drill.
4) Is there anything else you would like to add?
The best defense is a position of great strength. In the Habersham County School System, we are blessed with some strong administrators and teachers who are willing to do whatever it takes to protect our boys and girls. We are also blessed with a Sheriff who believes in leading with strength and courage. We have great resource officers serving our schools. Our parents should feel assured that when it comes to safety we treat our students like they are our own children.
I would like to thank our local law enforcement agencies, GEMA, Habersham EMA, and our local emergency response agencies for participating in this drill. It takes a strong team to keep our community safe.
