DALTON, Ga. — It is a situation no educator wants to face: an immediate threat to the safety and security of their students. 

First-year teachers and staff members with Dalton Public Schools recently received a presentation from the Dalton Police Department on how to be better prepared and what to do if there is an active threat on campus. 

“We do hope it never becomes a reality, but you do have to be prepared for thinking about that,” Dalton Public Schools Chief Administrative Officer Craig Harper said. “We have an excellent relationship with the DPD and three very experienced school resource officers who are vigilant and very dedicated. They think about this certainly more than the educators do, and they are the ones we rely on.”

Dalton High School School Resource Officer Bart Chandler and his fellow SROs — Steven Collins and Terry Smith — led the participants through the presentation to remind them of the emergency operating procedures for the system and for each school.

Chandler said since the 1999 killing of 12 students and a teacher by two armed students at Columbine High School in Colorado, school system officials have realized that their schools can become targets and the best way teachers can handle those situations is to be prepared.

“We all live in the post-Columbine world, and all teachers understand what needs to happen and understand the horrors,” Chandler said. “A lot of times, what we do is remind them there is a plan and make sure they are communicating and breaking it down individually with each school. More or less, our involvement is just kind of a reminder.”

It is a reminder that first-year Dalton High School teacher Chase Pritchett said he appreciates. 

“I totally agree with the class and what they had to tell us,” Pritchett said. “As simple as it may be, we have to be able to rely on each other. It is nice to have the police department care enough to sit us down and set out the right guidelines. It is something that gives us thought and we are definitely better for it.”

Art teacher Melissa Lambert has been a teacher for four years, but this is her first year at Dalton High. She said the class was a reminder of what all teachers and administrators must be aware of and vigilant about in order to keep their students safe. She said no matter the plan of action once a situation develops, recognizing the signs and taking preventative action is always better than reacting.

“For me, I always think of being aware of your surroundings and having a good rapport with your students,” Lambert said. “If you have students who trust you, they will confide in you and alert you to what may be happening. The presentation really reinforced that as educators, making our schools a safe environment for each student is one of our top priorities.”

The presentation included the showing of a video prepared in conjunction with Texas State University’s Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Program that has been teaching police how to deal with active threat situations since 2002. The video goes over three responses to a threat — avoid, deny and defend. All of the responses, Chandler said, are designed to keep students and teachers safe.

According to the university:

• “Avoid. This is the preferred option and begins with situational awareness of one’s environment prior to any active, hostile act occurring. It also includes having a plan ahead of time regarding what you would do in the event of an active shooter and knowing escape routes. Avoid danger.”

• “Deny. If avoidance isn’t possible, find ways to prevent the attacker from having access to you and others around you. Close/lock doors, barricade doorways with furniture, etc. Deny access.”

• “Defend. Take action! As a last resort you have a right to defend yourself if you believe your life is in imminent danger. Defend yourself.”

“The echoing word I leave with the staff or with the students is that I am here to do everything I can every day to make sure you go home safely each and every day,” Chandler said. “And we can’t do that without the help of the staff and the student body. I have had students come up to me and address things they see that they know it could be a problem. Unfortunately, it is sad to have had to go through that, but we learned a lot from the past. You have to stop the threat.”

Harper said schools are safer now with more restricted access and better construction designs such as self-locking doors that help control that access.

“We redesigned all of our entrances to our schools with this in mind and that is a direct result of student and staff safety,” Harper said. “The most obvious thing anyone would notice is how the entrances have changed and there is a barrier. You can’t just walk into a front office and walk through a classroom. You have to be buzzed in. But one of the most obvious things in any situation is just be visually aware and alert someone if there is anything unusual.”

On the web

To see the video prepared in conjunction with Texas State University’s Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Program, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=14&v=j0It68YxLQQ.