On Tuesday, December 18, four days after the fatal shootings in the elementary school in Newtown, Conn., WW-P Superintendent Victoria Kniewel met with PTA-PTSA presidents to discuss safety issues and questions parents have asked.
In a statement posted on the district’s website prior to that meeting, Kniewel stated that “WW-P is in a state of continuous review of our Crisis Management Plan in an effort to ensure that each school has procedures in place to identify potentially dangerous situations and enact appropriate intervention strategies.
“During the last two school years, we have worked with local law enforcement to hold at least one fire drill and one school security drill each month within school hours. As a component of those drills, each school building is required to hold annually a minimum of two of each of the following security drills: active shooter, evacuation (non-fire), bomb threat, and lockdown. Security drills, which are similar in duration to a fire drill, are used to practice the procedures for responding to emergencies. The purpose of all these drills is to allow students and staff to become familiar with emergency procedures. The local police departments are notified of the drill schedule and work with school officials to monitor and participate in drill practice.
“WW-P will continue to coordinate with local emergency responders and update our safety and security plans and procedures for drilling, managing, and responding to school emergencies as deemed necessary. We will continue our efforts to maintain safe and caring schools through clear behavioral expectations, positive behavior interventions and supports, and crisis planning and preparedness.”
While WW-P has an approved Crisis Management Plan — parts of which are available on the district website — some sections of the plan, said Kniewel “are not available to the public, as this information is kept confidential to maximize safety and security.”
