A View of the Valley

by Linda Schwanke I was leaving to go to an appointment last Thursday at noon as the Class of 2022 – the seniors – departed school at a frantic pace for the very last time. Forced to sit and wait, I had a few minutes of free time to just sit and think. Unavoidably, those thoughts were about the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. At the Spring Green Village Board meeting the night before, David Saperstein gave an impassioned speech about the shooting. He gave voice to some of the thoughts I think we’ve all had. Why on earth does this keep happening? How can our precious children continue to be so horrifically lost? Mass shootings don’t just happen at schools, they happen any place and any time. But it’s the children I thought of first. Because I’m a mom and a grandma and I always think of the kids and the world they are growing up. I think all of us do. It’s unavoidable in today’s reality.  Four years ago, I sat down with Spring Green Police Department Sergeant Andy Kurek, then as now the school liaison officer, River Valley Middle School Principal James Radtke and then River Valley School District Administrator Tom Wermuth to discuss the school district’s crisis plan and learned that the district has a crisis plan in place that includes flip charts that every staff member has available but it is also written into really impressive binders with maps, contact information and infinite details, includes crisis response information for many things including armed intruder/ active shooter, floods, fires, utility loss or failure, medical emergencies, structural failure, hazardous materials, assault, severe weather and bomb threat. Evacuation procedures, where to go and what to do, civil or school disturbances and demonstrations, all have their place in the plan, as does the process of reunifying families if it becomes necessary. On Wednesday evening, I reached out to River Valley School District Administrator Loren Glasbrenner to get an update on the plan. He said, “Additionally there is an annual review of these procedures to be sure processes remain current.  We do safety drills with entire student bodies twice each year (this is an update from a state statute) and have other drills (tornado/fire) monthly. We work through all emergency drills with age appropriate language and processes to make sure we are not frightening concerned students, but teaching them carefully about how to be safe. Daily we maintain school processes and practices that also help - like the locked doors, secure vestibules, video surveillance, registration of all visitors, use of fob entry for staff, and close monitoring by staff and administration.” All students are taught, ‘If you see something, say something’ as part of the district’s proactive approach to crisis management. Family members and the community should do the same. Things out of the ordinary need to be reported before it’s too late. “We continue to encourage family members and community members to share their concerns and ‘if they see something, say something.’  We would always rather learn more and find no harm, than otherwise,” Loren said. As well as the crisis plan, the district has multiple policies addressing emergency plans of everything imaginable as well as the unthinkable.  School shootings, all mass shootings, are a reality that must be stopped. I am in no way against guns or the second amendment. I am against not taking steps to save lives. Gun legislation has to be passed that makes people more important than the sale of guns, the profit margins of gun manufacturers and pocketbooks of legislators. People are much, much more important than money. Keep that in mind when you vote this fall.  Stay in touch. My phone number is (608) 574-3159 – call or text me anytime. You can also email me at homenewseditor@newspubinc.com  Visit our website at homenewsrv.com Get in touch with Gwen for sports or features at homenewssports@newspubinc.com. If you need a display ad, Dave Pronold can be reached at homenewssales@newspubinc.com or by calling him on his cell at (608) 588-4777.  Call the NewsPub central office at (608) 767-3655 for subscriptions and all other information Monday through Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon, although afternoon hours can vary. Closed Fridays. Write to us at P.O. Box 286, Black Earth WI 53588.