NORWICH – In the wake of the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last week that left 17 students dead and rekindled a national debate, Norwich City School District Superintendent Gerard O'Sullivan discussed some of school district's processes in the event of a school emergency.
During Wednesday's meeting, O'Sullivan presented graphics that displayed data showing the spread of school shootings across the country since the year 1991. He noted that school shootings are occurring nationwide on almost a monthly basis in present day.
"I don't know if it's a mental health issue, I don't know if it's a gun control issue. All I know is we've got red dots spreading across the country and if these were airplanes going down, we would have solved this problem a long time ago," said O'Sullivan, referring to a graphic that depicted school shootings in America.
O'Sullivan described a two-pronged approach used by the district to help ensure one of these tragedies doesn't manifest in Norwich schools: the first being developing solid relationships with students, and the second being developing concrete plans that would combat any potential external threats.
"It's a question of relationships: do our students feel safe and secure in the buildings?" asked O'Sullivan. "And we spend a lot of time on those internal processes. We've got guidance counselors, we've got social workers, we've got teachers, teaching assistants."
O'Sullivan noted that often times the best sources of information regarding something potentially bad happening in the district comes from the students themselves who approach a staff member they are comfortable with to voice their concerns.
"Beyond acknowledging how important, how crucial those relationships are, we also have to face there are external threats to our school every day, and what we do when bad people do bad things to our students and to our buildings," said O'Sullivan.
He said in an effort to be prepared for any external threats, the district has safety plans on file with the Norwich Police Department, the Chenango County Sheriff's Office, and the New York State Police. O'Sullivan said the district regularly practices fire drills, lockdown drills, and evacuation drills, and has practiced active shooter drills in year's past with dozens of law enforcement officers.
