'Run, Hide, Fight' Introduced At Paulding Schools

PAULDING COUNTY, GA — School safety continues to be a primary focal point for the Paulding County School District. On March 29, 2018, the district’s school-level safety coordinators met with administrators and a representative from the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office at the school district central office. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss safety procedures, including a new proposal to train all staff and students in a crisis approach called “Run, Hide, Fight.”

Each of the district’s 34 school facilities has a safety coordinator who is responsible for ensuring schools and district facilities are in compliance with safety procedures and protocols. The school safety coordinator is either the school principal or assistant principal, and at other district operations facilities is a district administrator.

Superintendent Dr. Brian Otott welcomed the group and reviewed some of the recent school safety events that have occurred both nationally and in Paulding County. He reminded the safety coordinators of the critical role they play in keeping schools safe. Dr. Otott also mentioned the close relationship the school district maintains with the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, especially the dedicated deputies who provide full-time security for the district’s schools.

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“There is no question that the Sheriff’s Office is the school district’s best partner” when it comes to student safety, he said. Don Breedlove, the district’s executive director of Safety and Athletics, led a discussion that covered several key components of school safety, including building access and monitoring, how and when to conduct code-red drills, using technology to enhance communication during an emergency, and fire safety. He encouraged the safety coordinators to review and follow their school safety plans, and added that the safety plans may soon be updated with an approach adopted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security called “Run, Hide, Fight.” This defense strategy defines a common-sense way for those in an active shooter situation to take actions that increase their chances of survival.

The Paulding County School District is currently evaluating this program for students and staff with the intent to implement training in the near future. Breedlove then introduced Sgt. Ashley Henson, Public Information Officer with the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office. Henson, who just recently earned certification in active shooter defense, expanded on the concept of “Run, Hide, Fight” and how it would apply in a K-12 setting. “Some security steps might cost your district millions of dollars and improve safety only marginally,” he said. “But there are other ways that schools can spend relatively little and yet enhance safety a great deal, such as training staff and students to run, hide or fight depending on the specific situation.”

Henson said that the entire community has a stake in keeping schools safe. “Many of our deputies are parents, too,” he said, “and I can think of nothing more important than the work we do to protect our Paulding County schools.” As student safety remains a primary topic of concern at schools across the nation, the Paulding County School District will continue to review procedures, train, and seek ways to enhance security at its school facilities. The district’s school safety coordinators serve as a key component of that process.

Photo courtesy Paulding County School System