MONROE - Despite diligence and awareness on the part of school districts to prevent incidents like the one that shocked Marinette Monday, such a crisis can happen anywhere, officials say.
"There's no such thing as a plan that can cover absolutely everything," Monroe Superintendent Larry Brown said.
His remarks were in reaction to the incident late Monday in which a 15-year-old Marinette student held a teacher and students hostage in a high school for several hours - before eventually shooting himself as police moved in. The student died this morning as a result of his injuries.
The other students and staff involved were released unharmed.
School districts can and should prepare for various crisis situations and have emergency plans in place, officials say. And to that end, the Monroe School District updated its own safety plan last summer.
The Monroe district tried to include every type of scenario when it wrote its emergency preparedness plan. Planning is the best way to avoid a dangerous situation, Brown said, adding that a lone gunman scenario like the one in Marinette was among the scenarios considered.
Other steps involve reaching out to troubled kids - before a situation escalates.
"We try to deal with things ahead of time," Brown said. "We try to identify students that are having problems."
Brown declined to offer additional details about the safety plan, citing security precautions. He said all of the schools in Monroe have evacuation procedures and alternative sites have been selected for students to go in such a circumstance.
Teachers and administrators also have been trained to know the safety procedures, he added.
Notification in crisis situations also is part of the plan. In the event of an emergency, information would be posted on the district's website, monroeschools.com. The district also has the ability to call parents using an automated system, Brown said.
"Parents let us know what number they want us to call if there's an emergency," he said. "A majority of parents are in the phone system."
The district would also work with local media to distribute information, he added.
Brown said he is concerned that media attention to what happened in Marinette could lead to other students across the state trying to copy the crime. He said he talked to five other district superintendents Tuesday and they were also concerned.
"You have to do the best you can and hope this never happens," Brown said.
"There's no such thing as a plan that can cover absolutely everything," Monroe Superintendent Larry Brown said.
His remarks were in reaction to the incident late Monday in which a 15-year-old Marinette student held a teacher and students hostage in a high school for several hours - before eventually shooting himself as police moved in. The student died this morning as a result of his injuries.
The other students and staff involved were released unharmed.
School districts can and should prepare for various crisis situations and have emergency plans in place, officials say. And to that end, the Monroe School District updated its own safety plan last summer.
The Monroe district tried to include every type of scenario when it wrote its emergency preparedness plan. Planning is the best way to avoid a dangerous situation, Brown said, adding that a lone gunman scenario like the one in Marinette was among the scenarios considered.
Other steps involve reaching out to troubled kids - before a situation escalates.
"We try to deal with things ahead of time," Brown said. "We try to identify students that are having problems."
Brown declined to offer additional details about the safety plan, citing security precautions. He said all of the schools in Monroe have evacuation procedures and alternative sites have been selected for students to go in such a circumstance.
Teachers and administrators also have been trained to know the safety procedures, he added.
Notification in crisis situations also is part of the plan. In the event of an emergency, information would be posted on the district's website, monroeschools.com. The district also has the ability to call parents using an automated system, Brown said.
"Parents let us know what number they want us to call if there's an emergency," he said. "A majority of parents are in the phone system."
The district would also work with local media to distribute information, he added.
Brown said he is concerned that media attention to what happened in Marinette could lead to other students across the state trying to copy the crime. He said he talked to five other district superintendents Tuesday and they were also concerned.
"You have to do the best you can and hope this never happens," Brown said.