Since Pre-K, there have been routine drills for every student. Whether it’s a lockdown to escape the weather, a dangerous animal, or even a fellow student, the thought that there could be a danger on school grounds is petrifying. A large concern parents have, aside from the safety of their children, is the communication speed from the schools.

“Every single emergency situation we have is unique to itself,” high school principal Ryan Woods said.

Most recently, there was a gun sighting near Johnston High School which required the school to go into a lockout. When this occurred, police arrived and took over the scene, taking the suspect into custody and assisting the school in collection of information in order to send out an official statement. This ensures the accuracy of information being put out and prevents panic over controlled situations. 

“Once the message is approved by both JCSD administrators and the Johnston Police Department, it is sent as an Urgent Alert via ParentSquare (email, text, app update, phone call) first to the JCSD Admin Team and school board members, and then to students, parents and staff of the affected school,” Superintendent Dr. Nikki Roorda said. 

Despite this procedural accuracy, students and parents alike can sometimes spread false information through word of mouth. In September, a similar incident occurred at JMS, during which a student claimed that a peer was in possession of a gun in an upstairs bathroom. Luke Dillon, principal of Johnston Middle School, asks at the very least that people state where they got their information, to avoid further confusion or panic.

“I think that will help limit the misinformation that often circulates in certain situations. Unfortunately, I’ve seen that far too many times, even after the school or law enforcement has made statements with accurate and up-to-date information,” Dillon said. 

Johnston’s speed of communication isn’t an outlier amongst other schools. The speed of communication is almost always determined by the law. In Iowa these procedures are mainly determined by Iowa Code 280.30. While the schools have individual procedures for emergencies, under Iowa Code Chapter 22, this information is confidential. The speed of communication is also relative to the ratio of Administration staff to the number of students. 

“All of my schools in Nebraska had quicker communication. We also had more administrators,” Dillon said.

Johnston High School has a ratio of approximately 1 administrator to 390 students, while one of the aforementioned Nebraska schools had an approximate ratio of 1 administrator to 180 students. The speed of communication is simply a byproduct of the school size. 

“When an emergency happens, administrators respond… I think people forget or are unaware that the same people responsible for communicating at an event are dealing with several other things while trying to gather all the facts and speak/communicate to several groups of stakeholders after an emergency has occurred” Dillon said. 

No matter what type of emergency, the first priority for JHS Principal Ryan Woods is the safety of the students. There are steps that come before sending emails and this gap, no matter how small, will always be filled up with text messages and calls from students home. 

“We’re never gonna beat social media or communicating a two second text. Right, the second I announced the lockout that day, kids were firing off stuff through their parents,” Woods said. 

Recently, there has been conversion around the implementation of an app similar to the Rave Guardian app used by Iowa University. Rapid alerts would be sent out to students on lunch or out during open periods in order to avoid traffic at the school during emergency situations. This would also significantly speed up the initial notification process to families. While there has yet to be a specific name drop of this hypothetical app, it is something to be hopeful for. 

“So, just ways we can externally get that out in a quick fashion. That would need to be, for us, as instantaneous as possible,” Woods said. 

So, even when it feels like you’re holding your breath, waiting for that email to confirm your worries, just remember that no matter the situation, the safety of students and staff alike is the top priority for the administration across Johnston.

“We always default to safety, safety, safety,” Woods said.