By Jean Ann Miller
Canton Daily Ledger
LOGAN COUNTY, Ill. —There is a renewed emphasis in all Logan County schools on taking a proactive approach when dealing with an emergency situation.
Lincoln City Police Officer and Lincoln Community High School Resource Officer Tim Butterfield is on a mission to meet with all schools in Logan County to roll out a new standard response protocol for grades K-12 that will provide specific details to teachers and administrators for emergency situations. The protocol goes into effect at the end of October.
Butterfield said the idea came from a seminar he attended where Ellen and John-Michael Keyes shared their daughter’s story after she was killed in a school tragedy.
“Simply put, they didn’t want for someone else to go through what they had gone through and created the I Love U Guys Foundation as a way [to] get all first responders, students and staff all on the same page.”
Butterfield said many schools have a “code blue” or crisis plan in place, but plans vary from school to school and many are not shared with first responders.
“There is no consistency and by implementing this program, all schools as well as first responders will know a certain protocol to follow,” said Butterfield.
Signs with various icons provide directions to the new standard response protocol and will soon be displayed in every classroom in Logan County.
For example, a “lockout” asks students to come inside and instructs teachers to lock their outside doors.
“One thing, by using this program, is that anyone can call the lockout because it saves time in keeping everyone safe,” said Butterfield, who added that events that might trigger a lockout could be a wild animal seen outside.
“No one is to go in or out and there is a blue hands icon that should be attached to the door. The 9-1-1 dispatcher should be notified and teachers should take attendance, but then continue with business as usual,” said Butterfield.
A “lockdown” which is a red icon with a padlock promotes “locks, lights, out of sight.”
“This means there is an intruder in the building and the goal is to not be seen. Students need to be silent and move away from windows, while teachers should not open [the] door to anyone and take attendance and note the time,” said Butterfield.
Those who aren’t in a classroom but are near an exist are asked to run for safety.
Students and teachers who are in the classroom during the lockdown should observe the third concept and evacuate as led by the police.
“Keep your hands visible and we ask that students hold hands while they exit. Police will be loud and everyone is asked to listen to [the] instruction that officers will give,” said Butterfield.
“For the younger kids, we ask teachers to tell students to keep their eyes fixed on the back of the head of the person they are holding hands with,” continued Butterfield.
Butterfield advised that teachers run through safety drills two to three times a year.
“We need to educate everyone on how to stay safe, it could potentially save their lives.”
Heather Baker, principal at West Lincoln-Broadwell, said she thought the program gave clear instructions on what to do in the event that something happens.
“We had a lockdown last year and, after hearing Officer Butterfield’s presentation, it’s reassuring to know there is a uniform system in place to keep everyone safe,” said Baker.
Baker applauded Butterfield’s suggestion that anyone in the building can call a lockout in order to stay safe.
“We learned that time is key when dealing with keeping our students safe. I like that others can call it when they see a threat,” said Baker.
Copyright 2017 Canton Daily Ledger