Lock-Down Drill, Drug Sweep A Success, School Officials Say

BrocktonPost
BROCKTON--No students were arrested and seven were suspended after a coalition of local and regional police conducted a simulation lock-down drill and real drug and weapons sweep at Brockton High School shortly after classes began Thursday morning.
While some illegal items were found during the drug sweep, officials praised students and staff for the success of a drill officials said was organized, calm and indicates the school's preparedness for an actual emergency.
“The safety of our students and staff is our first priority, and accountability is important. We need to test our skills and systems periodically to make sure that our schools are safe places,” said Superintendent of Schools Matthew H. Malone said in a prepared statement, Thursday, May 19.
“I’m proud of the way the students and staff conducted themselves today, they used their training, behaved well and proved that Brockton High School is a great place to learn," he said.
The 90-minute “Hold in Place” lockdown drill began at 9:15 a.m. when Principal Susan Szachowicz announced over the public address system students and staff would be participating in the drill.
All students and staff remained in the classroom or office they were in when the drill began and remained in their place until officials gave an all-clear signal.
Police blocked the entrances to the school stopping the flow of traffic in and out of the high school.
Szachowicz notified parents through an automatic telephone system that the lockdown was a drill and not an emergency as soon as it began.
“You learn by practice. You hope you never have to put these skills to use, but it’s critical that we all know what to do if a crisis arises,” Szachowicz said in the statment.
“I thought it went extremely well – it was an impressive effort by all of the school and police officials. I thought the students and the staff were cooperative. It showed us that if anything were to happen, we are ready to handle that crisis,” she said.
The drill was a coordinated effort between the Brockton Police, School Police and Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office. Also involved were K-9 units from the Stoughton, Middleboro, Foxboro, Quincy, Scituate, Weymouth, Braintree, Hingham, Winchester, Rehoboth and Pembroke Police Departments.
The drill was also a drug and weapons sweep of the seven-building complex—similar to sweeps that have taken place in other communities such as Middleboro where students were found to possess marijuana,knives and prescription pills.
Included in the drug sweep were officers and K-9 units from the Massachusetts Department of Probation, Massasoit Community College Police Department, Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office and MA Department of Correction.
In all, 46 officers and 23 K-9s took part.
Six of Brockton High School’s 4,200 students were found in possession of small amounts of marijuana and one student was found with drug paraphernalia.
Two of the seven students were found to be in possession of pocket knives.
Each of the seven students have been suspended and will face due process hearings. No arrests were made.
“I think that for a high school of this size, with such large land mass, buildings and population, that Brockton High School is extremely safe,” said Brockton Police Lieutenant Donald Mills, who oversees the Brockton School Police.
“There were no arrests or disturbances as a result of this drill, and that is an excellent example of how safe and secure this school is.”
In 2010, the Brockton Public Schools was awarded a two-year, $300,000 Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools, or REMS, grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
Through the grant, the district continues to improve and strengthen its emergency management plans and attempting to address the four phases of emergency management: prevention-mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
The project is designed to ensure Brockton school staff, emergency responders, and public physical and mental health care providers are prepared to respond confidently to critical incidents that may arise in schools.
“This is the first of many drills like this, both at Brockton High School and in buildings across our district,” Superintendent Malone said.
“Our students are our responsibility and we are going to give them the best possible education in the most safe and supportive environment possible,” he said.