North Nodaway’s school board, at their special meeting Wednesday, heard a presentation from Nodaway County Deputies Dalton Murphy and Sgt. Seth Richey. They reported to the board on strategies to deal with intruders and active shooters.
The school has a plan in place for both schools in the event of an intruder. The Nodaway County deputies gave an abbreviated version of the training that they provided to teachers and staff. This four hour training fulfills the state requirement for teachers for active shooter training.
Superintendent Chris Turpin said that the school is always looking at ways of creating a safer environment for the kids. “As superintendent, my job is to keep the kids as safe as possible,” he said.
Richey and Murphy presented facts and figures about active shooters. Most active shooter incidents are over in five minutes. Most happen early in the morning between 8 and 11, although the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas shooting in Florida took place right before the end of school. The recent shooting in Uvalde (TX), which took an hour and 15 minutes, was atypical. Over half used handguns, which are much easier to conceal. Around 25% had diagnosed mental health issues, and 61% had evidence of mental health issues, but had not been diagnosed.
Active shootings have been more frequent in recent years. In 2019, there were 25 incidents at schools which resulted in injuries or deaths. Most shooters do not have a criminal background. Although the Columbine shooters specifically targeted athletes, most such shooters do not have a motive other than wanting to take as many lives as possible. Most plan their shootings weeks, months, or even years in advance. For instance, the Virginia Tech shooter planned his shooting several years in advance and actually wrote papers about it that were turned in and graded before he actually carried out his mass shooting in 2008.
Active shootings have been a part of American history since colonial times. The first one that was recorded was on July 26th, 1764 when four Native Americans slaughtered 9-10 schoolchildren at a school along with the schoolmaster. Only two children escaped. Missouri has had 17 since 1917.
Many active shooters do not necessarily seek to commit suicide; many are now being taken into custody by law enforcement.
After 2008 and the Virginia Tech shooting, active shooter trainings have been much more common. “You guys seem to be ahead of the curve,” said Deputies Murphy and Richey. North Nodaway is putting in new doors which will help protect against intruders. The bond project that was recently approved by voters includes an addition to the front of the school which will allow the school to better control access. The good news is, as Turpin noted, was that in recent surveys that the school sent out to parents, most felt that their kids were safe at North Nodaway.
In the event of an active shooting, all local agencies will respond with the goal of first stopping the killing, and then stopping the dying. Staff at North Nodaway has gotten training on immediate first aid, including how to treat gunshot wounds.
Each active shooter has had 4-5 concerning behaviors observed by people close to them before they actually carried out their shooting. “If you see something or hear something, say something,” said the deputies.
In the event that there is an active shooting, the school will have a designated safe zone secured by law enforcement where students and families can reunite. Afterwards, counselors and staff from all over the area will help provide free counseling to the students.
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