School Shooting Part of H-H Emergency Drill

Against the backdrop of recent school shootings in France and Ohio, Hatboro-Horsham officials are bringing a mock scenario to to test the school’s handling of a crisis situation.

Led by the district’s Director of Safety, Jeff Tomlinson, a retired FBI agent, the drill will play out along with several others at all of the district schools on March 29. 

“When you see what happened (Monday) at a school in France and across the country, Keith Valley Middle School is ready for this drill,” Tomlinson told the school board during its meeting Monday. “We’re going to see how this building and Keith Valley responds.”

The “intruder” for the 9 a.m. drill later this month is a Hatboro police officer who will make his way to the second floor of the middle school, Tomlinson said.

“This is about the process. We’re going to be setting up Keith Valley and this command post to be able to Skype,” he said. “Everybody knows this is a drill. The officers are not going to be armed.”

As that mock scenario unfolds, the folks at will be working through a severe weather dilemma. Typically, Hatboro and Horsham police respond to emergencies within two to four minutes, Tomlinson said. But, in the event of severe weather, response time could be delayed, or they may be unable to respond at all, he said.

That is why proper handling of the first 10 to 12 minutes of a crisis – with effective communication internally and with outside officials – is key during emergency situations, he said.

“No drill should take more than an hour or an hour and 10 minutes,” Tomlinson said, adding that local police and fire personnel, as well as Montgomery County Emergency Operation Center will participate in the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency’s statewide voluntary drill. “We’re going to have observers in each building … who will give feedback from their perspective on how we can improve.”

Superintendent Curtis Griffin, who will likely operate the command post during the drills, said he had not heard of any other schools carrying out district-wide preparedness exercises. 

During an actual crisis, Griffin said the district has the ability to increase the number of messages sent per second to parents through the school messenger system. Parents who opt in can receive messages via text, email or phone, officials said.

Communication with parents is just as vital as sharing information with students, faculty and law enforcement during emergency situations, Tomlinson said.

“We’re trying to develop the school messenger system almost like a 9-1-1,” he said.

Schedule of Hatboro-Horsham School District emergency exercises for March 29:

• 9 a.m. Severe weather will be drilled at Crooked Billet Elementary School.
• 9 a.m. Keith Valley Middle School and the adjacent administration office will conduct a mock exercise involving an intruder/shooter.
• 10 a.m. will conduct a severe weather drill.
• 12:35 p.m. will carry out an exercise involving an external threat.
• 1:28 p.m. Students and staff at and will need to coordinate in relocating people at the high school to the elementary school as a result of a mock gas leak.
• 1:45 p.m. will conduct a severe weather drill causing an evacuation and relocation. Parents notified in advance will participate in the “reunification” process to test how school officials coordinate parental identification in the event of an emergency.