PECULIAR, Mo. - As school districts across the metro begin the new school year, student safety is a top priority.
On Friday, more than 800 teachers and staff members in the Raymore-Peculiar School District learned strategies to keep students safe should an intruder or shooter get inside the school.
For the fourth year in a row, Grandview-based Strategos trained district employees on how to respond to worst-case scenarios. The training took place at several campuses across the district.
"We pray we will never have to use this training, but we never take things for granted. Our kids are our most valuable resource, and we're going to do all the training we need to do to make sure all of our staff are prepared to protect our students," explained Assistant Superintendent Dr. Bryan Pettengill.
Strategos teaches the motto get out, lock out or take out. That means, get students out of harm's way, lock the danger out of the classroom, or fight back to take out the threat.
One concept Ray-Pec schools have prepared for is reinforcing locks by looping string around door handles then tying them to boat/dock cleats on the wall next to the door. That extra step adds another layer of security.
"This type of training is literally life or death," pointed out Strategos instructor Nick Spencer. "The teachers do a great job of taking it serious. Even after years and years of seeing us and hearing us, they're still very active and still really participate."
Strategos put teachers through a variety of simulations to make the training more lifelike.
Ray-Pec High School also added a concrete dome to its campus this year. The school's entire 1,900 students can safely fit inside the structure designed to withstand an EF-5 tornado.
The new school year begins Wednesday.
