On Nov. 7 in the Marano Campus Center Auditorium, Jaclyn Schildkraut took the time to address and share her insights on the pressing matter of school safety.

Schildkraut is an assistant professor in the department of public justice at Oswego State. In July, she had the opportunity to attend The Briefings, which is a national school safety symposium held at Columbine High School. This symposium is hosted by the “I Love U Guys” Foundation. This foundation was created by the parents of Emily Keyes, a student who died during a school shooting at Platte Canyon High School in Colorado in 2006. Among many things, the organization works to create standard response protocols.

While Columbine created a catalytic change in active shooter first response, Schildkraut said there is much more that needs to be done in the categories of situational prevention and awareness.

Schildkraut’s presentation, titled, “We Need To Talk About School Safety,” shared some of what she took away from The Briefings. She began by asking the audience, if a threat arose in the auditorium at that moment, who would have a plan? Not many hands rose. She went on to ask if anyone in the audience had observed their exits, if they have ever ran drills, or if they were aware of an assigned reunification location. Again, few raised their hands. She said that it is important to have a plan because, in the event of an emergency, we should not be asking what to do, we should know what to do.

“There is no cookie-cutter solution,” said Sgt. A.J. DeAndrea, a presenter at The Briefings and one of the first SWAT officers on scene at the Columbine shooting.

That is what makes threats such as mass shootings so difficult to anticipate. No environment is the same, so the actions that are taken in response to a threat are never the same because they depend on numerous variables.

Schildkraut showed footage of Lt. Brian Murphy, who was the first responding officer at the Sikh temple shooting in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, in 2012. It was unclear in the video, but Murphy was shot 15 times, with only three hitting his vest.

“Rely on our training and not on our fear to guide us,” Schildkraut said.

Schildkraut said this can be done by simply paying better attention to surroundings whenever entering a new environment. Creating and practicing a plan is key. She proposed questions along the lines of, what if the doors to the classroom you are in open outward, so you cannot create a barricade? What if the desks you are sitting in are bolted into the ground? What if there are no windows to escape through?

“It is better to be prepared and not need it than to need it and not be prepared,” Schildkraut said.

DeAndrea and Officer Mike Touchton of the Arvada Police Department in Colorado recommended a quick acronym to keep in mind when faced with a threat. It is referred to as P.I.E., which stands for priorities, intel and environment. In sum, one should always be aware of the facts of the situation and the limitations one might be facing in the specific setting they are in.

Because there is often no set pattern when it comes to characteristics of a shooter, it is important to recognize and report any type of warning signs. As Schildkraut put it, there are many obstacles put in place to prevent threats from causing damage, but these obstacles do not always prevent these threats, and new obstacles must be created continuously.

An audience member asked if there will ever be a solution. Schildkraut was hopeful, but in reality, she said, the best solution is to prepare. She said one way the Oswego State campus can take initiative is to attend active shooter training, which is held by the University Police Department upon request. It is up to the individual to take action, spread the word and become prepared.

Schildkraut reminded the audience that The “I Love You Guys” Foundation will be on campus March 28, 2018, and to keep an eye out for more information.

Photo by: Alexander Gault-Plate | The Oswegonian