Press Release #34/2017-18
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June13, 2018
Contact: David Mustonen, Director, Communications
(313) 827-3006 MustonD@dearbornschools.org

District, City, & Community Partners To Conduct Emergency Readiness Exercise

– Police, EMS, local hospitals, and school personnel will take part in June 19, 2018 practice at William Ford Elementary.

The planning started over a year ago and on Tuesday, June 19, 2018 the Dearborn Public Schools will partner with several different organizations in the city to conduct an emergency readiness exercise at William Ford Elementary School, 14749 Alber Street, Dearborn 48126.

Beginning at 8:30 a.m. and continuing until noon, residents in the area, and those traveling near the school, will see police, fire, and many other emergency personnel in and around the school.

“For the past several years we have worked with police and fire officials at the City of Dearborn to conduct Table Top exercises at several of our schools. This live exercise is the natural progression of the Table Top events and will help our schools and emergency responders better prepare for an actual emergency situation,” commented event organizer and Dearborn Public Schools Director of Safety and Security Dr. Don Ball.

The June 19 practice exercise will involve a threat made to a school via social media and then the individual making the threat will attempt to access the school. Police, as well as fire and EMS, will have the opportunity to practice their response to the situation. Beaumont Hospital will use this event to review their procedures regarding reunification of families. Henry Ford Hospital Fairlane will also be taking part and will receive “casualties” to their emergency facilities at their Dearborn location.

“The number of organizations taking part in this exercise demonstrates the advantages to building strong community partnerships in our city. We especially appreciate Mayor O’Reilly’s leadership and his continued focus on keeping Dearborn, and our schools, a safe place for all,” commented Dearborn Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Glenn Maleyko.

Over the years, the Dearborn Public Schools have been actively involved in addressing school safety and creating a safe school environment. Most recently the district added a system that requires visitors to request access before entry doors are unlocked, physically moving the location of the main office at several schools to create a safer entry way, annually updating school and district emergency plans, and school and district emergency teams meet on a regular schedule throughout the year in order to review and practice different emergency procedures.

The major piece to the Dearborn Public Schools safety plan is the strong partnership with the Dearborn Police Department. With direction from Mayor John B. O’Reilly Jr., Chief Ronald Haddad has established a robust community policing model, which means that patrol officers routinely visit all schools in the city. For the 2017-18 school year, officers made 4,612 School Park and Walk visits as part of their daily patrols. These routine visits allow officers to build strong relationships with the staff and students in the schools and go a long way in preventing problems before they occur.

In addition, seven School Resource Officers (SRO’s) are assigned to schools in Dearborn. These highly trained officers spend their days in the schools and become part of the building culture. Working with the school’s administration, the SRO’s are highly effective in helping to identify and investigate possible threats to school safety before they reach a critical level.

“Our district has been very proactive over the years and will continue to build upon our strong partnership with the city to ensure a safe school environment for students and staff,” added Superintendent Maleyko.