County Conducts Tabletop Emergency Drill

Alexander County Schools and local emergency services partnered for a Tabletop Exercise on what schools should do in case of an emergency. The drill on January 16th included a scenario about schools’ response if there were a chemical leak. The rehearsal included planning whether the school would need to be evacuated and then staff would work to reunify students.

Emergency Management Coordinator for the county Daniel Fox led principals, data managers, counselors and other staff through questions and answers about how the response would be coordinated. 

Fox told district leaders, “We just want to get you thinking and take it back to staff and hopefully there’s lessons learned. If there’s things you need to address at your school, you can do it.” 

One part of the drill considered what staff might do if administration is not available on campus during an emergency. West Alexander Middle School Principal Amy Daigle said she feels teachers and staff could respond appropriately if she were out of the building. Daigle entertained using the scenario at her school.

“It would be good to take this back to a staff meeting and train them,” said Daigle.

The drill’s stakes were raised when Fox asked what leaders might do if a suspicious backpack was discovered during the evacuation for the suspicious smell. 

Alexander County Sheriff Chad Pennell said, “The first thing the sheriff’s office would be worried about is the safety of the students and the safety of the staff, and then investigating the incident.”

The sheriff's office and district communications representatives would let the public know about the incident as verified information comes in.

Pennell added in a perfect world his office and the school system would relay information in real time; however, the priority is to safeguard staff and students and then share with the public next steps.

Lastly, the exercise turned to how to reunite students with  parents after an evacuation. In that case, the schools take attendance records and parent contact information to a location and work through the student rosters to get families back together safely.

Executive Director of Accountability and Auxiliary Services Jacob Lail says reconnecting students and family could take a while.

“That’s an effort with a lot of moving parts and requires coordination among multiple agencies to make sure it’s done effectively. We would want to make sure students are safe, secure, and comforted,” said Lail.

Lail added practicing routines and expectations is a responsibility of district and school leaders.

Alexander County Schools and county emergency personnel want to ensure that if circumstances ever demand action, responses will be measured and informed—guided by preparation the district hopes will never move beyond the planning table.