(File photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Becky Zimmer

Safety measures

Horizon School Division to lock doors during the day, one point of access required

Jun 7, 2022 | 5:00 PM

The shooting in Texas that left 21 people dead, most of them children, is being felt closer to home.

The Horizon School Division, whose head office is in Humboldt, said that incident is the main driver in a recent safety decision.

Director of Education Kevin Garinger told northeastNOW some schools were already locking their doors during school hours but, since the most recent shooting, all schools are being asked to only leave one entrance open.

The goal is to streamline accessibility, he said, where people need to get buzzed in at one entrance. This will hopefully act as a deterrent for people wanting to harm themselves or others.

“All schools have been told that we need one point of access only. And that access point, where still it may be that some of their fob entry points and mechanisms, we’re still making sure that they’re operating properly.”

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This new step that is now being implemented throughout the division is another piece of their Violent Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA), which involves 12 partner agencies, including 13 RCMP detachments found throughout the school division and government ministries, emergency services, and social services within the area, said Garinger.

“We have situations happen, and I can tell you that we do, we need to make sure that we’ve done everything possible to protect the safety of our students and staff and families.”

Imminent threats are taken seriously by the division, said Garinger, and when they arise, the RCMP and partner organizations are engaged according to the VTRA protocols.

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becky.zimmer@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @bex_zim