by Cori Hilsgen
news@thenewsleaders.com
St. Joseph Police Chief Joel Klein discussed children’s safety issues with a group of parents Feb. 13 at the new St. Joseph Government Center.
Klein discussed how school lock-down and fire-drill procedures are changing.
He said audience member Karl Terhaar, principal of All Saints Academy, was already doing many of the procedures for which other schools are starting to be trained.
The new procedures involve empowering faculty and staff to think what would be the best course of action in a drill situation, whether that is barricading doors and hiding, moving to a new location, fighting back or something else.
Klein added the drills are constantly evolving as they are practiced, to determine how everyone might be able to improve. The drills are teaching people to think-in-the-moment to protect themselves and the students in the place they are and according to the circumstances of what is happening.
Klein said teachers, staff and others must remember to call 911 if they become aware of an intruder or threatening event in the building, and nobody else has made an announcement. Other people might not have noticed the threat yet.
The new practice drills also include various scenarios used with fire drills. School faculty and staff are informed in the event of actual drills.
He said because school districts currently differ in their plans they would eventually like to form a countywide plan of action.
“We need to be open to things that can be better,” Klein said.
Terhaar said he and Klein discussed changes to the school’s lock-down procedures about two years ago. All Saints Academy faculty, staff and students have been involved in the drills during which Terhaar changes the scenario for each drill, so staff learns how to adapt.
He said he had read about various school shootings while trying to figure out how best to secure the school’s facilities and keep the children safe.
Terhaar said he decided to start making sensible changes to their procedures to better prepare the staff and students for an active threat.
“I felt the ‘lock-down’ model was not providing adequate security and safety for our students,” Terhaar said. “As unsettling as it is to think about the possibility of an active-threat situation, unfortunately schools have to prepare as best they can for such situations and pray they never become a reality.”
Klein also discussed drugs and said parents should be aware of medications they might have in their home, especially pain medications.
He discussed the use of marijuana and how it is so much more powerful and dangerous than it was years ago, how to be aware of younger siblings hanging out with older siblings’ friends who might not be a good influence, heroin overdosing and how Narcan – a prescription medication that can reverse an overdose – can save lives, the dangers of Fentanyl and meth use, and more.
“Trust your gut instinct,” Klein said. “Don’t be afraid to be a parent and go through your children’s things and their rooms.”
The medication disposal drop-off box will be moved to the new center.
Klein reminded parents to spend time discussing difficult topics with their children, so he doesn’t have to be the one to discuss those topics with them down the road.
He said if a school incident would occur, resources from other counties are available and do show up to offer assistance.
Klein discussed about how to talk about stranger and abuse situations with children, adding many abuses happen with a relative or someone children already know.
He encouraged people not to hesitate to be eyes and ears in the area and inform the police department about suspicious activity.
“At any time, my door is always open for questions and discussion,” Klein said. “If someone wants to sit down and talk, I am good with that. All conversations are confidential.”
The discussion was coordinated by Claudia Revermann and Kristen O’Donnell, co-presidents of the All Saints Academy School Board.
Revermann’s husband, Jamie, is a police officer and was previously a reserve officer with the St. Joseph Police Department. Their son, Vince, is a sixth-grader at All Saints Academy and their son, Sam, is a sophomore at Cathedral High School.
O’Donnell has a daughter, Samantha, who is a sixth-grader at All Saints Academy and her daughter, Maggie, is also a sophomore at Cathedral High School.
O’Donnell said they have been trying to make their meetings more meaningful and purposeful, and felt this would be a topic of interest to parents.
After the safety discussion, Klein gave a tour of the new facility, explaining the reasoning behind much of the design of the interior layout of the building. He described why some areas and rooms were designed the way they are, where the building has bullet-proof glass and more. Much of the design allows for future growth.
He said a lot of thought and planning went into designing the building and he hopes the building will serve the needs of the city for many years to come.
An open house for the new center was held Feb. 6.
St. Joseph Police Chief Joel Klein discusses children’s safety issues Feb. 13 at the new St. Joseph Government Center. The event was coordinated by the All Saints Academy Home and School Board.
St. Joseph Police Chief Joel Klein discusses children’s safety issues Feb. 13 at the new St. Joseph Government Center. Topics discussed included new school safety drills, drugs, abuse and more.
All Saints Academy Home and School Board co-presidents Claudia Revermann (left) and Kristen O’Donnell visit during a children’s safety discussion Feb. 13 at the St. Joseph Government Center.
St. Joseph Police Chief Joel Klein (left) visits with All Saints Academy principal Karl Terhaar during a children’s safety discussion Feb. 13 at the St. Joseph Government Center.
All Saints Academy fourth-grade student Maria Glatzel (left) visits with her mother, Caroline Glatzel, at a children’s safety discussion Feb. 13 at the St. Joseph Government Center.
