LAURINBURG – A possible threat to Scotland High earlier this week turned out to be nothing, but school officials and police were ready to face it thanks to regular training.
A Facebook post that appeared to threaten Scotland High School began making the rounds Wednesday afternoon causing distress for many in the community.
The post from someone calling themselves Ray Andres claimed that the poster would be bringing a gun to school the following day, warning readers to “be prepared to hear shots.” A follow-up post declared the school in question to be SHS.
Concerned students and parents shared screenshots of the message, and some reached out to the school, Laurinburg Police Department and Scotland County Sheriff’s Office.
A subsequent investigation led police to believe the threat was against a school in Ohio, according to Assistant Police Chief Terry Chavis.
“We looked into the post, contacted Facebook and got the IP address,” Chavis said. “It came back to eastern Kentucky which is near the Ohio border, and there is a Springfield High School there.”
A threat had been made against that high school the previous day and a gun was confiscated from a juvenile at Springfield on Wednesday.
Despite credible evidence that the threat was not aimed at Scotland, police and school officials created a plan of action to protect students here.
“We placed over a dozen officers on campus before the school opened and made sure the kids got in safe. We left extra people at the scene throughout the day,” Chavis said.
Had the treat proven to be real both Scotland County Schools and the Laurinburg Police Department are prepared through regular training to handle an active shooter situation.
“We have a class for how to handle active shooters. The state has a plan to follow so everybody is trained the same way,” Chavis said.
Training coordinator Fred McQueen arranges at least one active shooter situation each year for Laurinburg police. The department works with businesses and schools in order to learn the layout of each building. Knowing the building plan gives first responders an advantage from a tactical standpoint because they are not going into a situation blind.
Trainers set up scenarios from hostage situations to disgruntled employees who enter a building hoping to inflict mass casualties. Actors are used to portray victims and shooters.
“We have been through all the schools in town and through the hospital,” McQueen said. “Your key component is your SRO [school resource officer] they’re the main contact if there’s an issue they know the facility.”
Another factor that is designed to help police in an active shooter situation is a packet available to law enforcement from each school containing the layout and other vital information that officers might need to know when responding to an emergency.
While trainers do coordinate with the school system and companies at which they conduct exercises, representatives do not participate in police training sessions as a precaution.
“You have to keep in mind in the majority of these incidents who you’re dealing with. Who’s the culprit? It’s usually a teacher, former employee, or a student,” McQueen said. “That’s why we don’t train with them because they’ll know what’s going on just like this last incident. He knew the system, and he utilized it for his benefit.”
A key component of training to resist the urge to go in and begin assisting the wounded, according to Chavis.
The job is to find the aggressor and ensure the safety of everyone left in the building.
“They’re trained so that the first ones to get there not stop for the wounded. They’ve got to go in to find the shooter,” he said.
If EMS is required before the scene is cleared, they will be escorted in by a contingent of officers.
As with any crime, a command center is set up in order to contain the scene and direct officers, fire and rescue as needed, and perimeters are set up around the area to keep civilians out of danger.
Once the threat is contained, officers will recheck the area for other issues that could escalate the tragedy. Police then begin to see to the wounded and evacuate those who may have been trapped inside.
Every effort is made to make the training scenarios as real as possible. Officers are told they will be participating in an exercise but are not told when they will be called to respond or what the nature of the exercise is.
Fire, rescue, EMS and officers from other agencies are often included.
Actors playing aggressors are given airsoft guns that fire pellets, and in some situations the perpetrator is told to advance on police in order to make the situation realistic.
“We actually have them attack the police officers; we have them fighting and officers have to react. The more real the better,” McQueen said. “We make it as real as possible to bring the stress level up.”
Raising the stress level for officers helps them to be able to cope better in a real incident.
If officers are hit with a pellet, they are required to go down and become another casualty.
“That generates another victim that the officers have to figure out how to handle. Now officers have to deal with these three victims. What do you do with them,” McQueen said.
In other exercises, makeshift IEDs and tripwires are added to the active shooter, and officers must decide how to respond.
While their training is not quite as intensive, schools conduct regular drills in order to make sure students and staff know how to respond.
“We work with emergency management to continuously review our emergency preparedness plans, and we ensure that our school administrators are prepared for any possible event that could take place on our campuses,” said Meredith Bounds, public information officer for Scotland County Schools.
At several points in the school year announced and unannounced drills are conducted. Lockdown drills are specifically used to address an active shooter or other personal threat. When lockdowns are conducted district administration and local law enforcement are present in order to monitor how the drill is conducted, according to Bounds.
The school system takes other proactive measures besides drills to perhaps ward off an attack.
Schools with multiple buildings have perimeter walls. Each school has a school resource officer. Visitors are required to be ‘buzzed in’ before entering a building, and schools have a camera which allows staff to see who requesting entrance into the building as well as video surveillance. Schools also have mirrored doors and windows on main entrances. Volunteers are required to pass background checks.
Scotland County Schools also takes measures to attend to the mental health of students.
“We know that one of the biggest challenges we face as a nation is mental health awareness… our district has faced these issues head on by placing certified counselors, psychologists, social workers, and mental health workers in our schools,” Bounds said.
Bounds, like many, believes that the biggest deterrent is vigilance.
“If you see something out of place or if you have a concern, please do not hesitate to say something. Working together, we can continue to keep our schools a safe place to learn,” Bounds said.