For the last two and a half years, the FHSD safety committee has worked to integrate 4E training for active shooter drills into the district. All administrators went through the program, which consists of Educate, Evade, Escape and Engage, over summer 2017. The rest of the district’s staff and faculty will receive 4E training starting next year.

Through its four principles, 4E gives practical training for how to respond to shooters. Each session consists of traditional learning and then a scenario-based application. FHSD Safety Manager Jason Griesenauer hopes it will make staff more prepared in a real emergency.

“It’s horrible that we have to go through this type of training in today’s society, but you can’t turn your head and look the other way,” Griesenauer said. “We need to do the best that we can to be prepared, to make a reaction, to make a choice.”

SWAT team members from the St. Charles County Police Department present the training. The police department adopted the method first and came up with the idea to bring it to county schools, and since they do the training, it’s free.

“Right now, I’m kind of open-minded about what [the training] will be,” German teacher Anne McPartland said. “But I can see that certain individuals will be less comfortable. I hope that the District offers support for people who need that.”

Griesenauer expects some anxiety from people who are uncomfortable with the training, but hopes that 4E will make the District more prepared.

“You just have to stay focused on the task and really try to get individuals to buy into it,” Griesenauer said. “There was a lot of anxiety going into that training [for administrators] because there are blank guns that are fired and it’s a little bit intense, but coming out of the training, I got nothing but positive comments from the training. It was very well received.”

As the District rolls out 4E, they continue to focus on other areas of safety. Last year, each high school received a vestibule by its main entrance for check-in and check-out. Griesenauer also gives a safety presentation to the staff of every school at the start of each year, and all buildings conduct three active shooter drills every year, including one surprise drill. That was added last year.

Griesenauer and his team also conduct safe place audits, visiting open spaces, like the commons at FHN, and developing plans for those rooms should an emergency occur.

“We’ve come a long way in the last three years,” Griesenauer said. “We need to. Look at all the events that are happening nationwide. We have to keep charging forward.”