If You See Something, Say Something
WATER VALLEY – Schools across the country are reviewing safety protocols in the wake of the recent Parkland, Fla. school shooting and the local district is no exception. Last Thursday administrators with the Water Valley School District met with the Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Department, Water Valley Police Department, Water Valley Fire Department, Yalobusha County EMA Director Frank Hyde and EMS Director Linda Cox to review current protocol for school security.
“I just want to convey to the community that we are not taking this lightly. We are being extremely proactive in doing everything we can to make sure we are a safe school district,” Superintendent Dr. Michael McInnis told the Herald after the meeting.
McInnis said recommendations made at the Feb. 22 meeting will be presented to the school board during a meeting scheduled Monday night. The superintendent stressed that the collective effort during the round table meeting was productive.
“I want Water Valley to be the best academically, but above that, I want us to be the safest,” McInnis added about the district.
Both Water Valley Police Chief A.J. Hernandez and Sheriff Lance Humphreys reported after the meeting that school security is a priority for their departments.
Hernandez reported that key points in the meeting included assessing strengths and weaknesses as well as law enforcement response to different scenarios at the schools.
Humphreys said the dialogue at Thursday’s meeting is important because it allows law enforcement officers from multiple departments to plan for a worse-case scenario. He also noted that even with the best school security plan, there are always improvements that can be made.
The sheriff also said that his department has a deputy assigned to the school as a School Resource Officer (SRO), an officer who has worked with the district for several years.
“Often the SRO is the first line of defense and one thing that helps is having a person in this position who has a strong connection with the students, teachers and administrators,” Humphreys explained. “The ultimate goal is to recognize potential threats and prevent them before they happen.”
Another key component, maybe one of the most important according to the sheriff, is input from students, teachers and the public.
“If you see something, say something,” the sheriff explained. “Parents need to encourage their children that if they hear something, let their parents, a teacher or the SRO know. Students don’t need to be afraid to report things they see or hear from other students. We would rather have it reported to us and it not be true than not be reported to us and be true.”
Humphreys also urged teachers who observe students with violent tendencies to report them to law enforcement. And for the public, if you see a suspicious person walking around the school a person or vehicle that looks out of place, contact law enforcement.
The sheriff also said the security plan includes a carefully planned response in case an incident occurs.
“We looked at a lot of different scenarios and addressed how law enforcement will handle them,” Humphreys explained.
