MISSOULA — We are only a few weeks into this school year and already there has been an uptick in shooting threats both here in Montana and across the country.
Schools have to have a plan ready in the event a threat becomes real violence.
MTN spoke with Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) and a local expert to learn how they navigate these alarming situations and what steps to take to spot trouble before it turns tragic.
"The father that turned his daughter in and got her help before she went to school and killed [people] out east a few years ago. In her journal, she talked about how she wanted a higher body count than others," detailed Director of Training at Reflex Protect, Alain Burrese.
While actual school shootings aren't happening every day, threats of them have changed how schools operate. "Unfortunately, it's a new reality that we're experiencing," stated MCPS Assistant Superintendent Vincent Giammona.
Here in Western Montana, Hellgate High School had an increased police presence on campus while investigating what turned out to be a non-credible threat in late September.
Additionally, a juvenile was arrested in Mineral County for threatening to carry out a mass shooting at Superior High School. "We have mental health problems with students. So, they're going to their school," shared Burrese.
Burrese teaches classes where people can learn how to protect themselves in an active shooter situation. He noted that there are signs to look for in kids that could signal trouble.
"Withdrawn, kids that are doing different doodling and journaling of just terrible things. If you start finding internet searches on other killers, this fascination with previous killers wanting to one-up them," explained Burrese. "The actual collection of wanting guns, whether they're asking for them, they're sneaking them, however, they're wanting to get weapons. So, all of these combined, you start saying something's wrong here and we need to get this person help."
Kids and parents have access to the Safer Montana Tip Line at MCPS which allows them to report threats and suspicious behavior anonymously.
"I think we want to do our very best to work with our families to make sure that they know what we're communicating, the drills that we're practicing the language that we use so it's consistent for everyone. It's our job to make sure that we're disseminating the right information," said Giammona.
MCPS has also adopted the 'I Love You Guys' platform which uses specific vocabulary to streamline communication with families.
"If there were to be a lockdown, if we were to go into secure a hold or if we were needing to evacuate, that language is the same for all. And the nice thing is, it's same for our [first] responders as well," Giammona told MTN.
Also, a key for staff and students is awareness. Burrese said, "Pay attention, recognize if something doesn't feel right or look right, let's take some action and do some reporting."
