The District Chronicles

Issue date: 9/2/08 Section: Cover

Half way through Banneker Academic High School students' 90-minute fourth period class recently, the fire alarm rang out throughout the halls. The principal ordered an immediate evacuation of the school.

The students obliged, scuttling through the front door, not to Euclid Street, NW, which normal standard fire drill procedures would call for, but to the crosswalk opposite the school. They wondered and discussed what happened that day as fire trucks rushed to the school and students were told to walk down Georgia Avenue, NW into Banneker recreation's track field area.

They stood in the field as the fire department inspected the building for hazardous materials. Later in the day, Principal Anita Berger sent a short message to parents: "This morning there was an evacuation from the school as a result of a student spraying pepper spray in a basement classroom. Emergency procedures were executed and the HAZMAT team assessed the condition(s) of the classroom and declared the school safe. I assure you that we are doing everything to maintain a safe and secure environment for your child."

Schools in the DC Public Schools System have emergency drills for emergencies of this kind - small stuff compared to what would happen if the schools had to deal with a terrorist attack on the city or a major natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina. Apparently, federal officials in the Homeland Security and Education departments are acutely aware of the Herculean task school administrators would face in case of such a major disaster. The Education Department, under the Readiness and Emergency Grant program, has given the DC schools system a $791,545 grant to help strengthen and improve its emergency management plans to meet major and minor emergencies head-on.

The plan targets various forms of emergencies, such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, pandemic influenza and violent incidents. It's all part of Mayor Adrian Fenty's initiative, crafted by the Office of the Deputy Mayor in conjunction with the school system's Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization.

"What we're doing is developing and putting in place standardized procedures for emergency response to a variety of different types of emergencies," said Brian Killian, safety director and grants director of the Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization. "Once it is developed, our goal is for actual support, training, and tools from what the grant is providing,"

Continued...

Page 1 of 3 next >

Article Tools