Sartell Educators Train For Emergencies To Keep Kids Safe

SARTELL (WJON News) -- The tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis has raised awareness about what are the procedures at area schools to keep kids safe. Sartell-St. Stephen's Schools Superintendent Michael Rivard says Sartell and all schools have action plans in place for active shooters and other emergencies. Rivard says keeping kids safe is always their top priority:

"We do have secure entrances, we have updated camera systems, and we have wonderful school resource officers who are on our campuses, and we work in partnership with the Sartell Police Department before the school year starts and regularly throughout the year. We're fortunate that our staff trains regularly so that we can respond quickly and calmly, but our goal is always clear: that every student deserves to be able to learn without fear."

Rivard says they do practice drills for active shootings, lockdowns, and other emergencies on a regular basis:

"We do drills with students, we also ensure that our families know that we are having those drills because for some students, the participation in the drills may look differently. We do a lot of mock-ups in terms of working with our staff in how we would handle any sort of event or emergency where we would have to be able to respond."

He says they also take opportunities to work with staff and parents to make sure they are prepared in the event of an emergency, and the school has a great working relationship with Sartell Police and the Stearns County Sheriff's Office on how to handle various situations. Rivard says the hearts of everyone at the Sartell-St. Stephen School District goes out to everyone impacted by the tragedy.

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