After-School Shooting
Frederick High School and West Frederick Middle School in Maryland were closed February 5 following a February 4 shooting outside the high school gymnasium. The shooting, which left 2 students injured, occurred during a basketball game. The high school went on lockdown for 3 hours after shots were fired and authorities continued to search for suspects.The shooting occurred at 8pm during a junior varsity game between rivals Frederick High School and Governor Thomas Johnson High School. The game's attendees were evacuated to the schools's cafeteria while police officers cleared the school. The police are reportedly looking into possible gang involvement.
After-School Events
After-school events are often overlooked by schools in their emergency management preparations. These are special events that require special protocols. At the heart of any protocol is the implementation of the Incident Command System (ICS). Every event should have an Incident Commander, safe areas should be identified, and as with any protocols, first responders should be consulted when developing and exercising any protocols.Managing a large group of kids and adults in an emergency is different than handling classrooms. These differences should be reflected in the protocols.
Many Athletic Directors have ideas about how to handle these situations. They just need to incorporate these ideas into effective protocols.
