Educational, governmental and law enforcement officials from across Sunflower County came together on Wednesday, in the chancery courtroom on the second floor of the county courthouse, to discuss school safety.
It was the first in a series of townhall-style meetings to discuss ways to provide another layer of protection in case of an active shooter incident and how to acquire the necessary resources.
Sunflower County Board of Supervisors’ president Glenn Donald called for the forums at a previous board meeting and asked the other supervisors to support him so they could be proactive when it comes to providing safe environments for students and educators. “If the teachers don’t feel safe, they’re not going to teach well. If the students don’t feel safe, they’re not going to learn well.”
Donald said the objective of the meetings is to work toward giving all involved, including the parents, a sense of security and peace of mind while the schools are in session. “I don’t want to wait until something happens and say what we should have done,” he said. Donald asserted that he thinks the resource officers in the school are doing a great job but they need help.
What Donald proposed is the addition of armed qualified officers on school grounds. He hopes to initiate dialog and seek out grants and other resources that could help provide certified personnel. He also plans to ask the county supervisors and city governments to increase their budgets to help supply additional funds. “I would like to see a patrol officer at every school from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., every day along with the resource officers. I think it would deter some of the wildness and craziness.”
Donald told the group that the governor of Florida raised its state budget $200 million to put school safety measures in place, providing an armed officer at every school. He believes the federal government will come up with some money in the wake of the Florida crime and he is also planning to contact Governor Phil Bryant about providing resources. Donald made it clear that he was not just referring to the public schools, but to all of the schools in the county. “We want every school, because they are all our children.”
Sheriff James Haywood, SCCSD chief Bo Hibbler along with the chiefs from Moorhead and Indianola also addressed the small crowd and shared their ideas and views on enhancing school safety. Haywood said that although they were starting with the schools, safety in other public facilities including churches would also be addressed in future sessions.
Hibbler assured the attendees that the county schools are protected as best as can be with the resources available. He said partnership and working together is important, which is why he collaborates with the different departments in the municipalities where the schools are located. He cautioned parents and suggested they be involved and observant especially of social media sites.
Chief Edrick Hall asserted that the likelihood of a shooting incident becomes more conceivable every day. “It is not a matter of if anymore, it’s just a matter of when.” Hall maintains that more training is necessary. “We have to make sure our teachers know what to do, when to do, how to do.” He encouraged the use of the new “see something, send something” app and asserted that since many of the students and teachers have cell phones, they could be valuable assets. Whenever they see or hear something suspicious they could transmit information to the police anonymously.
Chief Bobby Walker stressed the importance of finding funds now, rather than waiting until after something happens. He shared an expression that he has used in times past. “It don’t hit home, until it hits home.” He contended that if something were to happen, the community would feel the effect and find the money from somewhere.
Supervisor Riley Rice injected that all of the responsibility should not fall only on law enforcement, but on parents and educators as well especially school counselors. He further asserted that students with mental health problems were a major contributing factor and that the students with mental health issues do not suddenly develop those problems in high school. He suggests that issues develop as early as elementary school but get ignored.
“If you’re working in the schools, you (should) know the children that have mental health problems. You’ve got a lot of children out there with mental health problems.” Rice contends that a school counselor should know every student that has mental health issues.
Superintendent Miskia Davis and Indianola Academy Headmaster Sammy Henderson also spoke to those assembled in the courtroom. Davis gave them a rundown on the current resource officer placement and noted that statewide budget cuts have left them with limited resources and the inability to provide extra officers or give pay increases to the current ones.
She and Donald had been collaborating and tossing ideas back and forth prior to the public gathering and she thanked him for taking the initiative.
Henderson said he thought having more officers would be helpful and that’s something they will consider, but based on a recent presentation given by Sgt. Ronald Shive of the Mississippi Highway Patrol, he is convinced that the key is to educate the children to let the officials know when they hear, see or suspect something.
He said even if it proves not to be true, it is a good opportunity to be proactive. Haywood agreed that could save lives.
District 3 Supervisor Dennis Holmes and Kathy McClain, youth court clerk, also shared their views on mental health related issues. McClain, who works with youth daily, contends that mental health concerns are nationwide and a lot of those issues go undetected mainly because of a lack of community involvement. “We used to be a community that raised children. Nowadays, everybody just kind of keeps to themselves. Now, we seem to kind of worry about our own. It’s not helping,” she said.
Those in attendance were allowed to ask questions of the officials and Donald assured that this was just the first meeting. Other forums are planned for the north end of the county after spring break. In addition, Hibbler said a mock drill is also in the works in order to fine-tune a plan of action.
