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Posted: Feb 12, 2016 12:09 PMUpdated: Feb 12, 2016 12:13 PM

BPSD Assures Community Safety Precautions Are in Place

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Diane Coston

An incident at Richard Kane Elementary School on February 5 caused some confusion as parents and the community heard one term for what was happening when actually something else was going on. In hopes of clarifying terminology, the Bartlesville Public School District has issued a press release, BPSD Safety during Emergencies.

The February 5 incident resulted in an order to “shelter in place.” Bartlesville Police Captain Jay Hastings explained in a social media post, “At no time was there an incident at the schools. There were no threats made against anyone at the schools.”

BPSD Community Relations Director Jamye Ryan explains the difference between a “lockdown” and a “shelter in place” order.

The complete press release is posted below:

 

BPSD Safety during Emergencies

The number one priority for the Bartlesville Public School District, is the safety of our students and staff.  All school districts should have an organized, systematic emergency plan in place used to reduce risks or prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from a crisis situation, and the BPSD is no exception.

Crises can vary in nature from a death or accident affecting some members of the school community to a natural disaster or community crisis affecting a number of individuals in a school.  In addition to emergency plans, several districts across the United States have a safety coordinator or director.  Bartlesville Public School’s safe schools coordinator is Kerry Ickleberry.  She is trained to assess the seriousness of incidents and how to respond to the plan’s established procedures and guidelines.  Furthermore, Ickleberry works hand-in-hand with her husband, Lieutenant Kevin Ickleberry of the Bartlesville Police Department in addition to the department as a whole. 

Another safety measure the district, in conjunction with the City of Bartlesville, provides is two school resource officers who are solely dedicated to the safety of our schools and students.  Both officers are veteran police officers who are employed by the police department to serve in this capacity with the school district.  The two officers are Officer Korie Plummer and Officer Chris Bullen.  They are stationed at BPSD sites each day and travel between schools throughout their day.

In the case of an emergency event, the school district will work to keep parents/guardians informed of such events.  However, it is important to address that in an effort to prevent risking the safety of our students, parents must realize what the school district and local law enforcement require of them during such emergency situations.

In today’s world, misinformation can easily spread if a situation occurs at a school, or in the community.   Due to this, the school district attempts to provide timely information on the status of our schools’ safety.  BPSD utilizes School Messenger to send out such important information to parents via voice message, text message, and/or email.  Please check with your respective school to ensure you have the most current contact information in the system.

Terms to be familiar with in light of an emergency situation include the following:

LOCK DOWN – Used when there is a perceived danger inside the building, or near the area.

A lockdown includes securing each occupied room, directing people away from windows and doors, and clearing hallways until law enforcement arrives.

 

SHELTER IN PLACE – Used during severe weather or other threats.

This is a precaution aimed to keep people safe while remaining indoors.

 

EVACUATION – Used to move students and staff out of the building. 

Students and staff leave and move to a nearby pre-designated safe location and return to the building once the situation has been resolved.

 

REVERSE EVACUATION – Used when students and staff are outside the building and need to re-enter the building quickly in order to avoid outside danger. An example of this would be the threat of a growling dog, or the threat of a hostile stranger.

 

 

Bartlesville Public Schools District takes the safety of our students and staff very serious and is dedicated to continuing to do so.  The district will work with the local law enforcement as well as, Washington County Emergency Management, to ensure that the safest environment possible will be provided for students, staff, and volunteers. 


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