Jacksonville News
July 31, 2003

Citizens debate school safety plan

SCOTT EARP
07-31-2003

About 20 parents and citizens, including a couple of the most vocal opponents of the incineration program, packed into a meeting room at the Jacksonville City School System's office to participate in the school board's July 22 meeting. Those on hand turned out in hopes of finding answers to what measures will be taken at the various school system facilities in the event of a incident involving chemical munitions located at either the Anniston Army Depot's stockpile or the incinerator.

During the meeting, board members were updated by Bill Shoaf of Innovative Emergency Management and David Ford of the Calhoun County EMA about the project aimed at providing the schools within the Jacksonville system with procedures for dealing with a chemical leak. The pair had been working on the plans for some time and presented board members with a trio of proposals to include all students covered under the umbrella of the city school system. Board members were presented separate plans for Kitty Stone Elementary School, Jacksonville High School and the Kitty Stone extended day program.

The plan devised for Kitty Stone calls for students and staff to shelter-in-place at designated areas. More details of the shelter-in-place protective action indicates that those classes located in pods will shelter in their respective pods. Classes in the Blue East building will shelter in the pods (except for the Navy pod), with only one class per pod. The two smallest classes will combine into one pod. Classes in the Blue Main building will shelter in the Blue West hallways.

In addition to this shelter-in-place proposal, all heating, air conditioning and ventilation units will be turned off. All interior doors and windows will be closed, while exterior doors and windows will be closed and locked.

Once the order has been given that the schools are in a danger zone and occupants should proceed with shelter-in-place plans, no one will be allowed to enter or leave the premises until school officials are notified that the danger is no longer imminent.

The plan for JHS, much like the one devised for Kitty Stone, is centered around a shelter-in-place strategy. At the high school, all students and faculty will be sheltered in the school gymnasium. The same regulations concerning doors and windows, heating, air-conditioning and ventilation units, and allowing people to come and go from the facility apply in the same way they do at Kitty Stone.

In reference to Kitty Stone's extended day program, students and staff on hand will be directed to shelter-in-place inside the Blue West cafeteria hallway.

After reviewing the proposed plans, and following the recommendation of school superintendent Eric Mackey, board members voted to approve the appointment of a committee to provide a closer review and inspection of the facilities and plans. The committee, which will be made up of about 12-15 educators, emergency workers and concerned citizens appointed by Mackey, will be asked to report back to the school board with any changes, omissions or additions they deem necessary to the future safety of the students and staff.

"This committee will probably report back to us by September," explained Mackey, when asked to address the issue of a timetable for implementation of the plan. "At that time the board will review the plan, changes and all, and make a final decision on what should be done.

"The key issue is, we want our kids to be as safe as possible."

Mackey further stated that the board is taking a two-pronged approach to the issue.

"We want to use the information that has been provided by CSEPP (Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program) to develop a plan right now that will allow us to place the students in the safest possible position," explained Mackey. "If it is decided that further steps must be taken to provided additional safety, then we want to determine just how we can go about making it safer and how we are going to pay for it."

Since the city schools have not been selected for overpressurization because they are not considered close enough to the immediate response zone, Mackey noted that currently there is no federal, EMA or local moneys in the mix to fund a safety program.

With this matter being of such a sensitive nature, school board members opted to suspend their rules and take questions from the public to give every person on hand the opportunity to voice their particular opinions and concerns. What was initially approved as a 10 minute question/answer session, turned into an hour long debate on the merits of the plan. Oddly enough, while most everyone on hand elected to speak up and participate, only two individuals took the opportunity to present written questions or comments to the board.