Sparta School emergency plan put to the test

Sparta - Tuesday, Nov. 21, was a trying but telling day for school officials in Sparta. When a bomb threat in the form of a written note was found by a teacher in a Sparta Middle School stairwell at 9:20 a.m., police and the district offices were notified. Authorities referred to the district’s Crisis Manual, and followed the instructions line by line as they immediately implemented a prescribed emergency plan. The threat turned out to be a false alarm, but it resulted in a full-scale drill of school emergency procedures. Overall, the plan was carried out smoothly and quickly, and all children remained safe. However, officials are discussing ways to correct the major area of concern for parents, which was lack of communication. Students were first evacuated from the building and waited outdoors while bus drivers were summoned to the site. Meanwhile, Sussex county bomb and canine squads arrived to sweep the building. Students were then evacuated by bus to Sparta High School where they were assembled in the gym and the auditorium. It is during this time that some parents were upset the school did not notify them of the crisis so they could pick up their children. Pete Massey, parent of two middle school students, was phoned at work by another parent. He immediately went to the high school, where he said, “The parking lot was total chaos. Cars were everywhere.” Massey, along with other parents, felt kids should have been allowed to use cell phones to contact them. “My daughter could have phoned me right away to let me know she and her brother were all right, and to come pick them up.” Other parents felt cell phones would have created even more confusion with hundreds of parents arriving simultaneously at the cramped high school parking lot. It is also possible for cell phones to detonate devices, should they exist, and this worries some parents. Lynda Dmoch, parent of an eighth grader, was very pleased with how the school handled the situation. “Sure, I would like to be notified of situations like this, but I’m glad they focused first on getting the kids out to safety. That comes first, and notifying us is secondary.” Dmoch said she found out from a friend and went to the high school to pick up her daughter. She said, “The parking lot was chaotic, but the police had it under control.” Sparta Police Chief, Ernie Reigstad, said a full investigation in under way and they are following up on a few significant leads. He is confident whoever perpetrated this bomb threat will be found and punished. “This is a very serious offense that could involve a number of charges, from state to federal. Any time there is a false alarm like this, it endangers a lot of people’s lives. If someone thought of this as a joke, they won’t be laughing when they’re brought to justice.” Chief Reigstad also commented on how well the emergency plan was carried out. He said, “You can put a plan together and know it works well on paper, but are not really sure until you implement it. We didn’t ask for this, but we used it as a valuable opportunity for a drill.” Reigstad was pleased with how everyone responded, from staff to students. He also said the experience will help police and school officials continue to improve what is a very flexible security plan. “People can be assured,” Reigstad said, “that the plan may not be carried out exactly the same way each time. For security purposes, our response must remain unpredictable. What appears to the public as random, is actually what keeps the plan effective.” Sparta Superintendent of schools, Dr. Thomas Morton, had high praise for police and all school officials, staff, and students. He said: “Everyone performed their duties above and beyond expectations. From the Sparta police first responders, to the Sussex bomb and canine squad, to Mrs. Nick and her assistant principals, to Mr. Lio and his assistant principals, to the bus drivers who dropped everything and showed up immediately, to the high school students who adapted to the disruption in their schedules and helped out, and finally to the middle school students who followed instructions and kept calm - I could not have asked for more from all of these people. They were just incredible.” Sparta Middle School Principal Linda Nick said she was pleased that their training and planning paid off in the smooth handling of a crisis when put to the test. She also had high praise for how everyone responded to the situation. She said, “The high school was phenomenal. They gave us their gym and auditorium. There was true team work going on.” Nick was especially pleased with how her students adapted to the difficult situation. ”Our kids were so good, you could hear a pin drop,” she added. In a debriefing following the event, school officials agreed that communication is the main aspect of their security plan that needs improvement. While everyone agrees that getting kids to safety is the first concern, a more effective and expedient method is needed for notifying parents of an emergency. Nick wants to create a phone chain through the PTO which could be used in the case of this type of emergency or even in weather delays or closings. The PTO, in conjunction with school officials, is currently considering several options for such a plan. One option is to designate two parent representatives for each home room. The school would contact the representatives with an emergency notification, then each representative would be responsible for phoning the parents of twelve students. Other variations of a phone chain will be considered and the most feasible option will be put in place as soon as possible.