Sunday, May 19, 2013

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Preparation by Bark River-Harris School for the recent bomb threat
Posted: 12.08.2011 at 10:01 PM
Updated: 12.09.2011 at 4:45 AM
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Officials say they practice 10 drills annually to prepare for emergencies

HARRIS -- Bark River-Harris School recently had a bomb threat message left at the school.  But as part of the TV6 News policy, we don't report on school bomb threats, as they don't always prove to be true.

Still, the school said they were ready, and the evacuation went as smoothly as possible.  Now police are investigating the case.

But how prepared was the school for this kind of incident?

“I think they were very well prepared,” said Corporal Brian Helfert of the Menominee County Sheriff Department, "and that's because of a crisis response plan that's been implemented at the school, and also because of the numerous drills that've been held throughout the years. The students and the staff were very well organized that day."

Every year, the students practice six fire drills, two evacuation drills, and two tornado drills. And after the recent bomb threat, the students were evacuated to the Island Resort and Casino. Officials say it was a plan they had practiced before.

The school's procedure in the event of an emergency is to use the radio to get the word out there.

“We send the same press release to some different radio stations in the Iron Mountain area and in the Escanaba area,” explains Superintendent Jason Lockwood. “And we rely heavily on the radio as our primary source of communication to parents."

But Lockwood said they are looking at improving their line of communication with parents.  The school is looking into a cell phone-based program.  It'll send mass text messages to parents who submit their numbers to the school.  This will be a more efficient way to get in touch with parents who may not have access to radio broadcasts.

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