King William schools update crisis plans, add clear-bag policy and joint emergency drills

The King William County School Board heard an update on school crisis plans and new athletic security measures at its regular meeting. Mrs. Sabrina Moran, the division's special education coordinator and division safety coordinator, said the updated plans "are based on the State response protocol, which is the National Standard for school safety."

The changeover to the State Response Protocol included adapting a DCJS template and making plans available to board members for review before the September meeting, Moran said. She told the board the plans remain confidential in full but that the division will provide review access to board members prior to the September 10 work session. "The new plans are based on the State response protocol," Moran said.

Administrators also described expanded coordination with county emergency officials. Moran and staff reported meetings with Andrew Jerry, the county emergency manager, as well as law enforcement leadership including Chief Brown and Sheriff Lumin, to establish how incident command would transfer in complex incidents. Moran said officials plan quarterly coordination meetings and joint drills so responders can practice on school grounds.

The high school has earned Project ADAM certification after working with a team from VCU, Moran said: "They have to do drills, they have to be evaluated," and the certification readies a school-level team to provide care until emergency rescue arrives.

Athletic event security changes were also presented. A staff member explained the new visitor policy: "Spectators may carry a four-and-a-half-by-six-and-a-half clutch," or, if they need a larger bag, a clear bag up to "12x6x12." Administrators said added wanding will be used at home football and basketball games and that the policy is aligned with nearby districts. The staff speaker cautioned that expanded security will have cost and logistical implications and said implementation will be phased by available resources.

The board heard that school security officers (SROs and SSOs) will have defined roles and that SSOs are required to take DCJS certification training to be fully implemented. Moran said the division completed multiple DCJS trainings over the summer, including a school safety forum and "train the trainer" Crisis Prevention Intervention sessions to expand in-house training capacity.

Next steps noted in the meeting: board review of confidential plans prior to the September work session, continued quarterly coordination with county emergency partners, and a phased rollout of athletic security measures subject to available funding and operational capacity.