It’s been a week since the horrific massacre at a school in Ulvade, Texas, where 19 children and two adults were murdered. It can be hard not to feel fear and question whether something like that could happen at local schools in your own community. 

Cook County and Grand Portage, Minnesota are home to four schools: ISD 166 Cook County Schools and Great Expectations Charter School in Grand Marais, Birch Grove Charter School in Tofte, and Oshki Ogimaag Charter School in Grand Portage. 

I reached out to each of the four schools to find out what policies and procedures were already in place to keep our school’s staff and students safe, what the schools would like to see moving forward, and what type of mental health resources are available. 

I received a detailed response from Chris Lindstrom, Superintendent of ISD 166 Cook County Schools, and Rachael Lehman, Director of Great Expectations Charter School - both in Grand Marais. 

Note: The Directors from Birch Grove Charter School and Oshki Ogimaag Chater Schools either did not or weren’t able to provide a detailed response.  

The following consists of the questions I asked all Directors/Superintendent:

• What safety policies, procedures, and precautions are currently in place to prepare students and staff for an active shooter? 

• What (if anything) is the school planning to implement in the future?

• How is the school ensuring staff and students feel safe?

• What (if any) resources are in place to help support the mental health of staff and students?

Here are the responses (by each question) from Chris Lindholm (CL) from District 166 and Rachael Lehman from Great Expectations (RL):

What safety policies, procedures, and precautions are currently in place to prepare students and staff for an active shooter? 

CL: Being new I was able to ask a lot of questions when I started last summer.  A good deal of work has been done in the past in Cook County - which is great - but there has also been a fair amount of staff turnover so our need to refresh plans and run drills is a current reality.  The pandemic unfortunately created a lot of barriers for this work in all schools.  

Positives that are in place:

• All exterior doors are locked during school hours with a controlled main entrance (people have to be let in)

• All entrance doors are staffed during the AM and PM time when the doors are open for dismissal or entering

• All classroom doors have a "quick lock" mechanism so doors can be locked up in about a second

• Emergency manuals and plans are complete and up to date

• Communication systems with law enforcement are top notch (800 mh radios) and we have a good working relationship

• We have a dean, social worker, counselor and a team of special education teachers working to support students with needs

• Cook County Social Services works with some students routinely here at school

• While there was an interruption in doing drills in 2020-21, this year we have resumed walking through procedures with students and staff. 

RL: The foundational belief that who students are and how they learn is just as important as what they learn has been interwoven into everything we do at Great Expectations since we began 19 years ago. The result has been the creation of a community of respect and responsibility where students are able to take the emotional risks necessary to fully engage in rich learning experiences because they feel safe, supported, and confident in their ability to meet the social, behavioral, and academic expectations. Research shows that one of the most significant ways to reduce the likelihood of all types of violence happening in schools is to have an inclusive and supportive school climate. Not only does Great Expectations have an inclusive and supportive school climate; it is integral to who we are. Perhaps our vision statement says it best. 

The vision for our school is for each child to develop:

●    A strong sense of self

●    Mastery of the academic building blocks

●    Critical thinking and problem-solving skills

●    The ability to nurture meaningful relationships with others

●    An understanding and appreciation of the natural world

●    A strong commitment to being a contributing member of a community

●    A lifelong love of learning

We believe that the work we do addressing social-emotional development is the most valuable and proactive thing we can do to keep our school safe.

Our Crisis Management Policy and Emergency Response Plan act as guides for addressing a wide range of potential crisis situations including an intruder. 

What (if anything) is the school planning to implement in the future?

CL: Future steps:

• Next fall we are planning for a staff training and walk-through without students to prepare everyone mentally for a lockdown, evacuation, fire, medical, etc... situations.  We have new staff that needs to be brought up to speed. 

• Improve common Incident Command language and communication protocols

• Next year I hope to be more intentional about walking through simplified response procedures with students that are age-appropriate.  Obviously, that should look different with preschoolers vs high schoolers so we will plan for that ahead of time.  

• I would also like to work with the county on a multi-agency drill in the future at some point.  That is important to do every 5 years or so just due to turnover in all of the agencies.  

RL: We will be reviewing our Emergency Response Plan and physical building to see if we want to make any changes.

How is the school ensuring staff and students feel safe?

CL: We do our best to love our students and help them feel safe.  I witness lots of hugs and friendly welcomes every morning - something that I love about Cook County Schools.  When there were threats in other districts on social media back in December, we had law enforcement here just to be present and reassure folks that we are being diligent.  While we're doing all of these things, unfortunately, the events of the outside world continue to cultivate fear.  No one stresses about this more than school administrators responsible for the lives of so many. [Last] Tuesday night was a very hard night yet again.

RL: We are relying on guidance from the National Association of School Psychologists which provides an excellent framework for talking to students about violence in a developmentally appropriate way. Unfortunately, this guidance doesn't address how we as adults deal with traumatic events in the role of caregiver. As professionals we are called to help children feel safe and provide a sense of normalcy, this is difficult when we too have been traumatized.

Teaching in the Wake of Violence states, " Self-reflection is important preparation for facilitating conversations about troubling current events. As educators, we have to make time to process our own feelings and become aware of the way our own identities and experiences shape the perspectives we hold."  We all process in our own way, and I have encouraged anyone who needs to process with others to make time to do that. 

What (if any) resources are in place to help support the mental health of staff and students?

CL: I do feel like we have inadequate resources for addressing mental health needs in Cook County.  My last two districts had licensed therapists right in the schools.  Cook County doesn't have a licensed therapist at all. In my mind, this is the biggest hole in our system.  

RL: Not surprisingly, supports in this region are few and Great Expectations does not have a Mental Health Practitioner or Counselor on staff. I reached out to Jane Beaumont-Asay from Sawtooth Mountain Clinic and colleagues from the Arrowhead Behavioral Health Initiative to find resources. NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) encourages people who are feeling overwhelmed, to stay connected to friends, family, and peers. Staff and students who would like trained support are encouraged to schedule a visit with providers at Sawtooth Mountain Clinic. 

Beyond the boundaries of each of the schools, the Cook County and Grand Marais communities do have resources available to help. 

To learn more about children and mental health in Cook County, read this article from Grace Bushard, Cook County Public Health and Human Services Children & Family Services Supervisor, or this one from Alison McIntyre, Cook County Public Health and Human Services Director on supporting children and families in Cook County. 

Additionally, you can learn more about children’s mental health services in Cook County and the Public Health and Human Services (PHHS) department at any upcoming PHHS Board Meeting which are available to livestream and view on the Cook County website or the Cook County Adult and Children’s Mental Health Local Advisory Council. You can also find them on Facebook to learn more about public health and human services resources in Cook County.

One other community resource that Lindholm praises is the Cook County Emergency Response Team which meets regularly - and that he is a member of. He says of the Response Team: “[this is] something we did not have in other places that I've worked. Kudos to the community and county leadership for having that in place!” 

You can learn more about the response team and Cook County’s Emergency Operations Plan here.