Schools

Harford County Public Schools Have Emergency Plan

It was unclear Monday whether a shooting at Perry Hall High School in Baltimore County prompted any response from neighboring Harford County's school system.

A shooting marked the first day of the 2012-2013 school year at Perry Hall High School in neighboring Baltimore County Monday. By comparison, it was a quiet start to the  year for .

It was unclear Monday whether the shooting in Baltimore County prompted any special response from Harford County's school system, however standard safety protocols remained in place (see the outline below).

"As always, the safety of our students and staff is our number one priority," Teri Kranefeld, manager of communications with , wrote in an email to Patch Monday afternoon.

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Kranefeld also included the following outline of security strategies implemented by the school system:

1. Each school has a critical incident plan and drills are conducted every year to ensure that the plan can be executed effectively.

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2. Harford County Public Schools has an excellent working relationship with local and state fire, police, and EMS. Active-shooter drills are conducted with key players to practice the role of each agency in an emergency.

3. HCPS Administrators have been trained in the National Incident Management System (NIMS) program. NIMS is an emergency preparedness program created by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security—Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 

4. All schools are locked down with a visitor management system in place to help ensure that all buildings remain safe.

5. A School Resource Officer is assigned to each high school. Those officers also serve the feeder elementary and middle schools. 

6. Weapons of any kind are not allowed on school property or buses.

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