One Week After Newtown, Ankeny School District Talks Ways to Further Ensure Student Safety

One week ago today, 20-year-old Adam Lanza entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, and opened fire, killing 26 people before killing himself. The massacre was the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.

Since the shooting, copycat threats have occurred across the nation. While Ankeny school district officials said they could never promise parents a similiar incident won't occur in Ankeny, there are several safety measures in place throughout the district that significantly reduce the possiibility of such a tragic outcome.

"Parents should know the safety of their children is our top priority, and with that responsibility comes one to explore all aspects of safety," said Matt Adams, assistant superintendent of Ankeny schools. "I can’t prevent an incident, but I can minimize the threat so when I put my head on my pillow at night, I can say we’ve minimized all possibilities of danger."

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Adams said the district saw an increase in calls from concerned parents following the Newtown shooting on Dec. 14.

In response, the district issued the following statement this week:

Safety is a critical piece of our educational system and Ankeny Community Schools currently has defined procedures for various emergency and crisis situations.  Beginning in 2009, the district received a federal grant which required administrators to completely review and revise its crisis and emergency response plans.  Further drills and revisions followed over the next few years.   

Ankeny Schools continues to review its policies and procedures and will also continue to conduct a variety of drills at each of our buildings.  A series of discussions is underway between different district administrators and personnel who are responsible for overseeing safety. The district has also communicated with school buildings to review emergency protocols in light of recent events.  

These conversations will also involve visioning for the future, and additional long-term plans that can be made.  A new report will also be made to the Board of Directors in January.

At Ankeny Schools we will continue to be vigilant and work to do what is best for our students.

The district currently takes many precautions to limit outside access to all schools. Among those measures are making sure all secondary doors remain locked during school hours and a system that requires all visitors to check-in through the office before they're allowed in the building. Outlines are readily available in every classroom, detailing what staff members should do in the event of violence.

"We went through those (items) with staff just this morning," Adams said on Wednesday. "We reminded them to reread to make sure they know how to respond."

Adams said district officials have also challenged building administrators this week to make sure they know school procedures should something like a shooting occur.

Parents were also notified of what the district plans to do in the coming months to review safety procedures in district facilities.

Several conversations will take place, Adams said. First, staff members will be required to implement current procedures with "fidelity." Second, district officials will do an audit of each building to identify weaknesses and areas to improve safety. Finally, officials will look at the architecture of facilities yet to be built within the district to see if there are ways to improve safety right down to each school's design.

Recommendations will then be brought to the Ankeny school board, Adams said.

Adams said that while the Newtown shooting didn't create these conversations, it did play a role in accelerating the timeline in which they will take place.

"We were already writing safety goals for this year," Adams said. "We were already talking a lot about these issues, but the recent events have shortened our timeline."

Adams said that while he believes parents acknowledge a tragedy like the one that occurred in Newtown could happen anywhere, it's the district's job to keep kids safe in school.

"We really do have a lot of things in place," Adams said, "but this is a reminder to us to ensure all those policies are shored up and identify if any additional training is needed."