By Aaron Vehling

In an effort to beef up security in their schools, administrators and principals in the North Branch Area School District are asking themselves: ìDo we know every student?î

The group met late last month to kickstart the development of a security plan which would help prevent school violence. At each school building, from July to mid-August, staff will be working on an individual site plan.

Superintendent Rodney Reisnouer said in a phone interview that one idea is to make sure every student in the district has a connection with a staff member.

ìOne thing we know about those students who cause havoc is that they have no connection to adults,î he said. ìThey donít talk to any adults in school. People know of them but not really who they are.î

Mike Trok, who finished up a 14-year stint as principal of the high school this year, has been teaching school security at the university level for nine years. He has been instrumental in getting development underway.

The high school, Trok said in a phone interview last week, has been encouraging a student-to-staff member connection for years and the district is prepared to implement that approach districtwide.

To improve this connection, Trok is encouraging educators to get in touch with the reasons they got into teaching in the first place.

ìThere is a whole lot more to school than just giving tests over and over,î he said. ìThey love kids and want to work with them. What North Branch is about is rekindling that spirit. We are using that as a lever to make the schools safer.î

This proactive approach toward security is a stark contrast to most schools reactionary approach to security.

Many schools practice lockdown drills, which are designed to reduce casualties once an attack has initiated. But what about prevention of these attacks?

Trok said fewer than 25 percent of school administrators have any understanding of school violence.

ìWith the advent of rampage shootings (such as those at Columbine High School in 1999 or Red Lake earlier this year) and assaults, you canít live like that anymore,î he said.

To top it off, Trok continued, suburban and exurban schools are more at risk for rampage shootings than are their urban counterparts.

ìSince 1975 there has never been a rampage shooting in an inner-city school,î Trok said.

Even though it appears the factors are stacking up against exurban North Branch, Trok said the district is well ahead of others he has encountered.

ìThe idea is to work with kids and get people to help us help them,î he said.

The district is also working to enhance security technology. With money left over from the construction of the new Sunrise River School the district is upgrading security systems throughout the districtís buildings.

The new school comes bundled with some high-tech security measures, but some low-tech procedures will be undertaken as well.

Sunrise principal Sara Svir outlined some of the technology which will be available when the school opens officially this fall.

There are nine digital security video cameras currently in place, with room for expansion. They are connected to the computer network, so the few who have access to the security cameras can monitor the building from any computer in the school.

As for the low-tech, only the front doors of the school will be accessible from the outside during the school day. The rest of the doors will remain locked. For safety reasons, the doors can be opened from the inside.

The social approaches are to complement the technological methods districtwide.

ìThere are powerful systems which have been in place for awhile, but people donít notice them,î Trok said. ìThis is good. We donít want to scare anyone.î

Beyond the idea of improving student-staff member relations the district does take a hard-line approach to certain warning signs.

If a student were to make a hit list of students that person wanted to kill, even if it were comedic in nature, it would be taken seriously.

ìIf itís written or stated orally, itís a terroristic threat,î Trok said. ìWe donít monkey around with this stuff.î

Trok acknowledges that measures to enhance security have no guarantees.

ìYou canít get into whatís in peopleís hearts,î he said, ìbut you can do more. North Branch is a brave operation - itís taking a look at the situation and saying ëwe are going to do moreí.î

Top of Page

©ECM Post Review

6448 Main Street
North Branch, MN 55056
Telephone: 651-674-7025
Fax: 651-674-7026
E-mail: editor.postreview@ecm-inc.com