Mid-Del schools implement new crisis training in classrooms
MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (KFOR) — School districts often do training classes to learn what to do in an emergency and keep students safe. This fall, Mid-Del Schools are implementing new training to help during a crisis event.
The crisis training simulated a real-life scenario with the parents starting outside the school, then heading inside to the check-in area.
"We never want anything terrible to happen, obviously, but there has to be a plan," said Darcy Budde, the Principal at Carl Albert Middle School.
Right now, the school district has a plan they follow in the event of an emergency, but this fall, it will be elevated after partnering with the "I Love You Guys Foundation".
It's a group that specializes in school safety after a real situation where a family lost their daughter in a school shooting.
"That's the last text she sent to her parents was I love you guys, so this means a lot because the safety of our students will always be number one," said Budde.
Whether it's a power outage, a weather-related incident, or something extreme, school administrators said the training can be used in a lot of different scenarios.
At Thursday's real-life simulation, administrators pretended to be parents, students, and crisis response staff.
They practiced going through each station in an emergency, then reunited as a family.
"We wanna take those things that we're doing right, just because they're instinct and add more intentionality behind it," said Dr. Rick Cobb, the Superintendent of Mid-Del Schools.
The district is hopeful the new training will enhance how they ensure students are safely reunited with their parents in an emergency.
"Patience is really hard when you're scared and worried about your kids, so that's where we're gonna keep communicating with parents that we have a plan and we can give them details once they get to the reunification site," said Budde.
The district said they will be implementing drills for the new training, similar to a fire or tornado drill, to get students and teachers prepared if the time comes to use it in an emergency.