Norwalk Public Schools Teachers, Police & Fire Dept Discuss School Safety during Table Top Exercise

     This short video discusses the benefits of our City wide collaboration between Norwalk Public Schools, First Responders, and other city services in responding to a serious school incident on April 10, 2014. 

     Highlighted in the video are Norwalk Fire Chief (and Director of Emergency Management) Denis McCarthy and Deputy Chief David Wrinn discussing the All Hazard approach Norwalk is taking in regards to school preparedness (safety, security, and school climate). The Active Shooter Table Top Exercise focused on the three C's: Communication, Cooperation, and Collaboration. All 19 public schools with their School Incident Response Teams participated as well as Central Office's School Incident Support Team which is a coordinating entity to support the incident school(s) response, coordinate with Norwalk's Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and emplace the Recovery enablers as soon as possible.  
     The Table Top Exercise is an invaluable education and training tool to help clarify for the participants the difference between enthusiasm and capability.

School Attack In Nigeria: 29 Boarding School Students Shot & Burned Alive

Points for Consideration Up Front: I am exposing the reader to this horrific story of an international school attack by terrorists because as educators it is important to be globally aware. What is the likelihood of terrorists attacking your school? Not probable, and certainly the threat is extremely low, but possible.  

POTISKUM, Nigeria – On July 6, 2013, Islamic militants (allegedly from the Boko Haram sect) attacked a boarding school (1,200 students) in Northeast Nigeria before dawn Saturday, killing 29 students and one teacher. The gunmen are believed to be from the Boko Haram sect whose name means "Western education is sacrilege."  Scores of schools have been burned down in the past year in Northeast Nigeria.  Some of the pupils were burned alive in the latest school attack blamed on a radical terror group, survivors said. Parents screamed in anguish as they tried to identify the charred and gunshot victims.

By Adamu Adamu and Michelle Faul, The Associated Press

     Farmer Malam Abdullahi found the bodies of two of his sons, a 10-year-old shot in the back as he apparently tried to run away, and a 12-year-old shot in the chest. "That's it, I'm taking my other boys out of school," he told The Associated Press as he wept over the two corpses. He said he had three younger children in a nearby school. "It's not safe," he said. "The gunmen are attacking schools and there is no protection for students despite all the soldiers." Survivors at the Potiskum General Hospital and its mortuary said gunmen attacked Government Secondary School in Mamudo village, 3 miles from Potiskum town at about 3 a.m. Saturday.

     They killed 29 students and an English teacher Mohammed Musa, who was shot in the chest, according to another teacher, Ibrahim Abdu. "We were sleeping when we heard gunshots. When I woke up, someone was pointing a gun at me," said 15-year-old Musa Hassan. He put his arm up in defense, and suffered a gunshot that blew off all four fingers on his right hand, the one he uses to write with. He said the gunmen came armed with jerry cans of fuel that they used to torch the school's administrative block and one of the hostels. "They burned the children alive," he said, the horror showing in his wide eyes.

     He and teachers at the morgue said dozens of children from the 1,200-student school escaped into the bush but have not been seen since. Some bodies are so charred they could not be identified, so many parents do not know if their children survived or died. Islamic militants from Boko Haram and breakaway groups have killed more than 1,600 civilians in suicide bombings and other attacks since 2010, according to an Associated Press count. President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency May 14, and deployed thousands of troops to halt the insurgency, acknowledging that militants had taken control of some towns and villages.

     Military attacks against the Muslim extremists appear to have driven the extremists into the mountains with caves, from which they emerge to attack schools and markets. The militants have increasingly targeted civilians, including health workers on vaccination campaigns, teachers and government workers. 
© 2013 The Associated Press.  

Final Comment: The techniques, tactics, and procedures of Islamic Extremists (VEO: Violent Extremist Organizations) terrorists used abroad can and have been visited upon our shores. 

5 Simple Steps To Make Your School Safer and More Secure

5 Simple Steps to Take To Make Your School Safer and More Secure

Click on the link above to view the document. 

STEP 1: Instill, and Maintain, a School Preparedness Mindset.  

·         “See Something, Hear Something, Say Something”  campaign that is all inclusive

STEP 2: Form a School Preparedness Committee

STEP 3: Learn About School Preparedness (Free FEMA EMI Online Courses)

STEP 4:  Find, Review, and Refine your School Preparedness Plan

STEP 5: Conduct School Preparedness Drills and grow capability. 

Initial Observations from the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting

RESPONSE RELATED:  

• This school had trained in lockdown drills and procedures. Teachers and students knew what to do and they did it which lessened the tragedy. Had the law enforcement first responders not arrived or were not activated by the 911 call, the shooter had hundreds of rounds and victims left. Their (school leadership, faculty, students, and law enforcement) preparedness saved lives. 
• The shooter may break into the facility or room even if doors are locked. This speaks to the “Fight / Resist” to make it harder for them to make a smooth entry into the building / room.
• It appears as the adult(s) (Principal pictured above) fighting the shooter slowed the shooter and bought time for others. If someone is going to kill you, don’t make it easy for them. Inaction is not an option.
• Some people heard “booms”, gunshots, or a confrontation over the school announcement system.  There will be different ways of finding out there is an violent threat in the building.
• Teachers hiding, reassessing and improving their hide site for students was critical to saving lives.
• Teachers kept students calm and due to their young age kept them distracted and occupied.
• The arrival of Law Enfocement in the rapid Active Shooter response is believed to have influenced the shooter to kill himself as he had 100s of rounds of ammo left and more potential victims.  (The sooner the Police show and close with the shooter, the sooner many shooters kill themselves similar to Columbine;  Nickel Mine,Pa;  Va Tech, and now Newtown, CT.)
• Sometimes Running (as a response) to get out of threat area or as part of the directed evacuation is key. Responding Police clearing the school directed many children to Run to the Firehouse.
• You may have to evacuate students / people past a violent (blood, bodies, etc.) crime scene.
• School and First Responders had a known location for evacuation and student reunification (the firehouse).

RECOVERY RELATED:  Many of the recovery decisions are almost surreal after the fact so it is important to plan for them ahead of time, despite how distasteful the topics and decision points are. They won't get easier after an incident. 

• The school is a crime scene to be processed for days, maybe a week. Once cleared, then and only then can clean up and repair happen.  Depending on when this happens, how long do you close school for? When do you re-open? 
• It is more than just cleaning up the crime scene (bio-hazard clean-up, repair damage & bullet holes). What parts of the building off limits (library at Columbine, Kindergarten class at Sandy Hook, Norris Hall at Va Tech etc.) and how does that effect classes and a return to normalcy.
• Crisis Intervention and Counseling services for everyone, ask for state and federal assistance. It is required immediately and will continue for years to come.
• Loss of key Personnel (the Principal and School Psychologist, Teachers, Staff) calls for a rapid decision for replacing school leadership and Subject matter personnel. The decision for the assumption of leadership in the absence of others not being there, maybe temporary or permanent.
• Coming back into school needs to be well thought out and phased: Parents visit school, Parents and Students visit school, Parents and students go to school and classes, Students go to school with some Parents visiting.
• Columbine HS planned it as “taking back our school” and they excluded media due to the adversarial & invasive relationship they had at that time.

THESE ARE A FEW INITIAL OBSERVATIONS MEANT FOR DISCUSSION AND REVIEW. 

GOD BLESS ALL OF THE FAMILIES IN NEWTOWN, CT AS WELL AS THE FIRST RESPONDERS.

Modern Day Life Skill: Surviving an Active Shooter

School Shootings...Workplace Shootings....Shootings in Public Places (Movie Theater, Mall) are all examples of the potential of violence occurring wherever you may be. While it is not probable, it is none-the-less possible - so you must be prepared. Teaching students and young adults the LIFE SKILL of how to mitigate the dangers of an active shooter situation is prudent. The past belief and practice of merely calling the police and hiding from a gunmen (lock-down mode) until police arrive is no longer the only consideration you make when developing a plan of action on how to react. Watch the video as it suggests to RUN from the danger if possible, HIDE if you have no option to run (with some self protective considerations), and if there is no escape and you perceive you are about to encounter an active shooter, than FIGHT to increase your chances of survival. Individually or in a group that swarms an attacker using improvised weapon (books, chairs, fire extinguishers, hot water or coffee, etc.) increases your chances vise remaining a passive target.


This video (RUN. HIDE. FIGHT. Surviving An Active Shooter) is a DHS sponsored product created by the City of Houston which demonstrated the evolution of citizen preparedness to a violent encounter created by an active shooter situation.

Be Prepared and Make Your Luck by training and conducting capabilities through drills. 

Failure in Ethical Leadership & Civic Responsibility at an Academic Institution

Former FBI Dir Freeh Report on Penn State Scandal

An excerpt finding from the report:

Our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky’s child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State. The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized. Messrs. Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley never demonstrated, through actions or words, any concern for the safety and well-being of Sandusky’s victims until after Sandusky’s arrest.

3 Norwalk Public Schools Go into Lockdown Due to Nearby Gang Related Shooting

     At 1:40 pm on June 1, 2012, a 22-year-old city man was shot multiple times while walking on Grandview Avenue between Kellogg Street and Leuvine Street. It is believed by the media (The Hour) that the victim is a member of the MGs, a Meadow Gardens-based gang. A car drove by and someone shot at him multiple times. Residents reported hearing between four and seven shots. Police believe the shooter was in a gray, four-door Honda Civic with no front license plate. The car, described by witnesses as a 2006 or 2007 model, was seen speeding from the crime scene. The shooting was the second shooting in three days. A 19-year-old man was shot at the playground of the Meadow Gardens housing complex Wednesday night.
      The shooting happened just a few blocks from Jefferson Elementary School. Ponus Ridge Middle School and Jefferson and Kendall Elementary schools were locked down while the investigation was taking place. Shortly after receiving the initial call, police discovered that the crime scene was on Grandview Avenue, and the road was blocked off from Kellogg Street to Leuvine Street.
     Superintendent Susan Marks said it is standard procedure to lock down the schools during a police investigation of a violent incident that happened so close to a school. "As I understand, the police had a great presence at the school. We always stand down based on what the police direct us to do," said Marks. "Unfortunately we've done this before and our schools do know what to do." 


Points for Discussion:

• Executing a Lock Down to prevent violence from occurring or from spreading within a school OR a Lock Out to secure the school from violence entering the school are incident responses which require a simple plan, discussion, and practice drills to ensure you are capable.
• It is always good to review situations to discuss other related contingencies:
• What if the shooting victim stumbled into the school looking for help?
• What medical capability resides within the school while you awaited alerted 911 response?
• What if the kids were outside in post lunch recess and you heard gunshots? Drop and Cover and Reverse Evacuation back into the building?
• Do you plan for Crisis Recovery teams to help the students and staff recover from the incident?
• Conducting an After Action Review following the incident is critical to capturing vital lessons learned and shared with other schools throughout your district. 

WHEN IT COMES TO SCHOOL PREPAREDNESS, YOU "MAKE YOUR LUCK" BY RAISING EVERYONE'S AWARENESS OF THE TYPES OF INCIDENTS THAT CAN OCCUR AND PRACTICING THE RESPONSES THROUGH DRILLS. 

 

High School Teacher Arrested & Fired For Hitting Administrator Following an Evaluation

REDUCTIONS IN SCHOOL STAFF and PERFORMANCE COUNSELING 

CAN LEAD TO WORKPLACE VIOLENCE

Dec 13, 2011  

A Springfield Mass. High School of Commerce math teacher of nine years, Willie Vega (44 yrs old), was accused of and arrested for punching the female Vice Principal in the face after he received a bad evaluation. Police said Vega became “enraged with his evaluation,” stabbed it with a pen and crumpled it up before he punched the 41-year-old female vice principal. The vice principal tried to flee her office but police said Vega blocked the door. The vice principal then grabbed her portable school radio and called for help, police said. Vega’s punch caused the vice principal’s left eye to swell up, 

Vega will be summoned to Springfield District Court on Jan 25th on assault and battery and kidnapping charges, Springfield Police Sgt. Delaney said. Vega, was placed on administrative leave with pay while an internal review was conducted. The accused teacher Mr. Vega refused to answer questions at a school disciplinary hearing about the alleged assault. His decision to remain silent was based on advice from a teacher’s union lawyer, according to Timothy T. Collins, president of the Springfield Education Association. The internal review resulted in the termination of Mr. Vega's employment as a teacher according to Springfield Public Schools spokeswoman Azell Cavaan. 

School officials were “shocked” and “shaken” by the allegations and are “cooperating fully” with police. the school Principal Charles Grandson IV said yesterday the school made counselors available to students and faculty. “All of us are reaching out to and supporting the administrator involved and making sure that that person is taken care of mentally and physically,” Grandson told the media. “She is getting better and school officials are working to make sure she has the support she needs.” The accused teacher said he has a meeting scheduled with two lawyers today as he faces assault and kidnapping charges. “I can only say I’m going to defend myself fully and use every resource I have to defend myself,” Willie Vega, told the media, declining to comment further. He was released on personal recognizance. The accused teacher must obey a no-contact order with the victim, and also has to obey the school’s trespass order. 

Points for Consideration:

• As an employee, no one likes to be told their professional performance or behavior is substandard, but accountability is critical for any organization to function effectively. 
• As a supervisor, few are comfortable with face to face (F2F) performance evaluation counseling if it is negative in nature.
• A supervisor must prepare the performance counseling properly, especially a negative counseling. Things to consider:
• The environment: where is this taking place, observers in the room, physical setting, etc.
• Rehearsing and war-gaming the employee response: how might the employee respond, factoring in the dignity of the teacher, rebuttal scenarios, control of the meeting.
• Personal safety: if it is anticipated that the employee will react emotionally;  having another administrator, security, or even the School Resource Officer (SRO) standing by in a "low profile" manner can be a prudent measure.
• Personal and professional maturity of the employee receiving negative performance counseling AND the experience level of the administrator providing the negative performance feedback are factors to consider. 
• Strongly recommend the Administrator's supervisor rehearse and role-play a variety of counseling scenario outcomes. 
• If you anticipate the employee's response might get emotionally heated or even violent, you must rehearse the responses for this with the key personnel that could be involved.   

Remember, having to do more with less or reducing staff in tough budget times can cause great emotional and psychological stress causing unprofessional behavior and even violence at times. Educational leaders and administrators must prepare for this potential through realistic planning for the worst case scenario. 

Sophisticated & Protracted Threat Against Ohio High School

A VARIETY OF SOPHISTICATED THREATS (IEDs, BIO-CHEM) SENT VIA MULTIPLE

EMAILS WITH THE FBI NOT IMMEDIATELY ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE SOURCE...? 

For a two week period, Orange High School has received a number of cyber threats sent via email (first threat email on Nov 6) and to local television stations. Initially the school was shutdown for a few days and then re-opened and the threats continued. These protracted threats are serious and involve a variety of bomb threats including cell phone bombs, backpack bombs, and car bombs. The situation was further complicated by information put out on social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) were it can be difficult to distinguish between gossip, information, and fact. The school and local police have contacted the FBI who have collectively opened a joint (state & federal) investigation. These email originated threats at present have been unable to be exploited by the FBI due to the high tech software used by the unidentified perpetrators. The full resources of the FBI to include their Behavioral Science Unit are involved. The Orange School District and Pepper Pike Police Dept. held a joint presentation with the FBI at a school board meeting with numerous parents in attendance. The school & Pepper Pike PD formulated a security strategy to address the serious threats involving limitations on student cell phones, student backpacks, bio-chemical agents, and single door entrance with accompanying searches. There was an increased police presence at the school and bomb searches by bomb detection dogs. There was also restrictions on students not being able to leave class without an adult escort. The duration and active measures fluctuated based on the changing threats over the course of the two weeks.

FBI Briefing at the Orange District School Board:

http://www.schooltube.com/video/00d19a8b167c4869be06/11_21_11_FBI%20Briefing

The School posted a special page on their website as an information forum for students and parents. The credibility of the threat appears to be diminishing, but due to the seriousness of the threats the authorities are taking no chances. Since the emails are considered evidence in the federal investigation, the contents cannot be directly released to the parents.  

While we hope this is a hoax or veiled threat resulting in a future arrest, this ongoing incident shows how unprepared our educational institutions are with no federal strategy towards school preparedness. Imagine if any one of these threats actually occurred, how would we be looking at this differently?

Follow Up To Yale Student's Death In Lab: OSHA Findings

On a previous School Preparedness Blog entry in April 2011, I posted information about student Michele Dufault's death from strangulation from a lab machine (a lathe) during late night work by herself in a Yale lab. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently completed its investigation. Yale University was not fined for this accidental student death by OSHA since it (OSHA) only has jurisdiction over worker safety, not student safety. OSHA released its finding from its review of the student's fatal accident. A synopsis of the OSHA finding are as follows:

• The lathe was built in 1962 which had no emergency stop button or safety guard on its lead screw (chuck) which the graduating senior's long hair was caught.
• No warning signs or safety rules posted in the laboratory's machine shop.
• The student who was killed should have been monitored by a second person.
• Her hair was not pulled back which contributed to her accidental death.
• The university failed to monitor the student's work and adherence to safety regulations which she was briefed upon.

Yale University's response to the accident / OSHA assessment: Stated it provided the student extensive machine tool training and personal protective equipment (PPE) and student's were instructed not to use machinery without anyone else present. Yale University states "...unfortunately, OSHAs assessment contains a number of significant inaccuracies." Since the accident, Yale stepped up its safety training program and limited the access to the machine shop to certain hours where monitors are present.

Points for Consideration:

• As stated in our past related blog, a TWO PERSON RULE should always be in place when machine are used especially by students. Moving parts, electricity, fuel, and fumes can all individually or collectively injure and kill people so be careful.
• Often times when we inherit equipment or renuvate facilities, we are pleased to economize or are satisfied we have equipment which still works which is good. However, educational leadership always has to ASSESS the HAZARDS that may occur or exist because something may not be up to present day safety codes and regulations.
• Your school can have the greatest safety policies, and education and training program; but if your school does not ENFORCE safety through SUPERVISION then human mistakes creep into the occassion as will accidents and possibly death. As we say in the military when it comes to leadership, "SUPERVISION is the most important part of leading others."
• Policies without supervised enforcement hold little weight in the real world.
• Investigations and lawsuits due to liability will follow soon after, this is where PREVENTION should always be the focus.
• It is always better for a educational institution to catch a safety violater and counsel or fine them prior to an accident vice having the institution having to defend why a student was accidentally killed with their equipment on your school's grounds.
• For accidents to occur their is a link between a number of factors (natural and manmade) that link together and form a consequence chain which lead to injuries and sometimes even death.

Part of teaching our students and reminding our educators to be successful in life is to remain SAFE and SECURE, these are enduring Life skills.

Adults (Teachers, Staff, etc.) Need To Maintain Control and Morale during a School Incident

A Mexican Teacher Setting The Example:  The accompanying video is of a kindergarten teacher (Martha Rivera Alanis) in Mexico. The teacher is keeping her young students calm during a drug cartel shootout adjacent to the school where five people outside of the school were killed. The teacher and the students were not injured. The teacher keeps the students focused on singing a song as you can hear the gunfire. While this was not an Active Shooter attack against the school, each incident requires adults to assess what is occurring and influence as positive an outcome as you can influence.

Points for Consideration:  The adults (teachers, substitutes, cafeteria staff, etc.) are the authority figure in the classroom (library, cafeteria, main office, etc.) who needs to maintains their composure in a crisis. Students will often gauge their response based upon the adult's example and response to a crisis. In numerous past discussions with students about their Sept. 11th experiences, the memory that most often sticks out in their minds is how their teacher and other adults in the building / room reacted on that fateful day. A hazardous incident can be scary enough, but it can be made even worse by adults losing their bearing and emotions in front of students. As I have often told young military leaders, that in a crisis situation they need to control their emotions in front of their subordinates to maintain group control and unit morale. Teachers, staff, first responders, and military leaders are human and have human reactions which can't be denied, but need to be self-managed in a crisis if at all possible. Sometimes you need to "act calm" even if you don't feel that way. Focusing on the professional tasks you need to complete in an incident will distract you from your personal feelings. In a crisis, "the eyes of Texas" are upon you so always consider what you are doing, saying, and even how your face looks. Try to keep the students focused on something (keeping quiet, singing, playing hangman, etc.) appropriate for the incident at hand.

We all hope we will have the presence of mind to help our students RESPOND to a crisis which helps lessen the psychological trauma in the RECOVERY to an incident.   

11 YEAR OLD STUDENT KILLED DURING A SCHOOL FIELD TRIP

On June 3rd, 2011 at approx. 1230 pm, in Wildwood New Jersey a tragic event took place where a 11 year old student fell to her death from over a 100 feet from the top of a Ferris Wheel ride during a school sponsored trip. It appears the deceased was the only passenger in that particular Ferris wheel car at the time and fell while it was in motion. The Morey's Mariner's Landing Pier sponsored its annual EDUCATION EXTRAVAGANZA as a day where the park invited students and teachers. The Ferris Wheel had been recently inspected for safety with no previous findings. The loss of life, especially a student, that a parent or guardian entrusted to the child's safety to their school is especially tragic. The park was closed for a day and reopened a day later. She was treated at the scene, but was announced deceased at the hospital 45 minutes later.

Points for Discussion:

• The serious injury, abduction, or death of a student during any school sponsored activity (school day, sporting event, or trip) is perhaps the most unsettling and tragic incident that could occur for a school, but it can unfortunately happen. 
• The reaction of most educators to a tragic incident is "why did this happen?"..."how did this happen?"..."how could we have prevented this from happening?"
• Following a tragic incident there will be an investigation and then undoubtedly there will be lawsuits. While everyone knows "hindsight is 20/20" especially when assigning blame or culpability for an injury or death of a student.
• What were the school district's policies or procedures for school trips?
• Were they sufficient to ensure the safety and security of students and school personnel?
• Did the school event planners, executors, and supervisors follow the spirit and letter of the school district policies and procedures for the school trip?
• Did unusual circumstances occur that were not covered by the school district policies and procedures, and what decisions and action did they take to ensure the safety and security of the students? 
• The school will need to RECOVER from the incident which starts as they RESPOND to an incident. 
• Individual students and staff members will require crisis counseling taking an individual approach. 
• The school will need small group counseling taking a collective approach. 

BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE, AND WHEN THEY DO GOOD PEOPLE NEED TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS.  

Anniversary of Columbine Rampage Shooting on April 20, 1999

Twelve years ago the shocking school shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado took place and stunned our nation. How could this happen? Why would two students become mass murderers in their own school? Why wasn't this prevented? Why wasn't the response more effective?  Despite how much this school shooting has been talked about, studied, and discussed; how prepared is your school?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA22SKaQ5hU&feature=player_embedded

I strongly recommend you read Dave Cullen's book, COLUMBINE which he wrote after ten years of research. It is the consummate case study of what occurred on that fateful day and will help you determine how your school can answer the above challenging questions. 

Educational Leaders studying Leadership as a Lifelong Skill not just Management

Commentary: In my opinion, there is a clear distinction between educational management and educational leadership which is overlooked by many.  You can manage "things" and processes, but you must LEAD people. An individual in an education leadership position hopefully has achieved this position by demonstrated leadership potential or performance. This coupled with considerable quality experience in the academic world are the basic ingredients for the making of a rudimentary educational leader. I haven't intentionally overlooked the academic certification processes or programs in determining educational leaders. However how much of the curriculum is about LEADERSHIP as compared with MANAGEMENT?  Looking at educational leaders from a school preparedness standpoint, it is an area they they typically are not educated or prepared for in any educational leadership curriculum. So the majority of Educational Leaders are not educated or trained in school preparedness or leadership, let alone the criticality of leading in a school related incident where lives, property, or operations are effected.

Link: http://www.ted.com/talks/stanley_mcchrystal.html?awesm=on.ted.com_McChrystal

The attached link (15 minutes in length) is from Maj Gen Stanley McChrystal (now a Yale Professor) who talks about leadership development and leading in the 21st century in a Web 2.0 world where leaders can become overwhelmed in time compressed and information technology accelerated situations. His concept of "reverse mentoring" is also an interesting reality of the success of today's networked organizations vice the traditional legacy hierarchical organization that are the standard in the US education.

In the year 2011, if you are no better prepared than Principal Frank DeAngelis (Principal at Columbine High School in 1999) or President Steger (President of Va Tech in 2007) for a life threatening incident (nature or man-made) to occur at your school than you are not a prepared educational leader nor is your institution. They cared about their students and their school so you must learn the lessons learned from their experiences or you will not benefit from them.