The events of May 24, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, once more brought a horrific reminder of the ongoing threat of school shootings in America. Thirtyseven people were shot that day. Twenty-one were killed, with 19 of them students just 9- to 11-years old.
Ken Vance wants to make sure nothing like that ever happens to any students, teachers or other staff members at the four schools administered by the Putnam County School Board.
“The world has changed. And the administration, the board, they’re more cognizant than ever that people, parents particularly, are more concerned with the safety of their children than they may be about algebra,” said Vance, a veteran of 48 years in law enforcement.
Vance began his career as a patrol officer in Monroe and later served 27 years with Georgia College as chief of police and safety director before being hired nearly three years ago as the Putnam County Board of Education’s director of safety.
“It’s terrifying to think about, it’s a different day now with social media and everything being posted pretty much immediately during an event. The fear of parents and the students has been raised so much and it’s something that we have to be concerned with,” he said. “I applaud this school system for the actions that they take to protect and make their students feel safe.”
Vance made a presentation to the Board at its work session June 11, outlining an initiative in cooperation with Georgia Emergency Management to train officers within the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department and the Eatonton Police Department on establishing active shooter preparedness plans before school resumes Aug. 3, for most Putnam students.
Among the planned initiatives are two or three hours of classroom work for every Sheriff’s deputy or Eatonton officer on the job, outlining various active shooter profiles, familiarizing them with each school’s layout, providing maps that show all entrance or exit points, as well as parking lot configurations.
If something happens, it’s not just about first response, Vance pointed out, explaining officers need to be able to immediately take control, designating staging areas for themselves, for fire department and EMS responders, for parents and other family members, and even for the inevitable influx of regional and national media should a major incident occur.
“You always have to prepare, you have to over prepare these days and time,” he stressed. “That’s why we want to get the deputies and the police officers involved and in the schools.
“And you know, people change, they move, and we’ll have others come to work in this sheriff’s department or this police department. So you’ve constantly got to train and familiarize your law enforcement officers so they’ll be able to respond in a reasonable manner. Hopefully not, but should an event like this occur, there’s no time to waste.
“And you also have to look at reunification of kids with their parents and what it takes to set up that kind of thing, too,” Vance continued. “So, we’re trying to take a broad view and then there will be some more narrow logistical things that will be done by local law enforcement.”
Vance said more cameras will be installed at Putnam schools, too, concentrating on doorways, lobbies, hallways, “or anywhere people gather in large numbers.” He added the safety initiative will extend to Putnam County’s school buses, as well, citing a recent incident involving the assault of a bus driver by a disgruntled woman who now faces charges in the case.
A public meeting, tentatively scheduled for July 28, at the Putnam County Middle School (140 Sparta Hwy., Eatonton) will outline the safety initiatives to parents and other interested Putnam residents. Vance, along with Putnam Sheriff Howard Sills and Eatonton Police Chief Howell Cardwell also will be available to answer questions.
“We all want to assure everyone that we are doing everything that we can to provide for the safety of their children,” Vance said.