Talawanda School District closed Monday for staff school safety training

CINCINNATI (WXIX) -The Talawanda School District closed its buildings to the public Monday so law enforcement can work with teachers and staff on school safety and security, including active shooter training.

The Oxford Police Department will be conducting the Run, Hide, Fight Safety Drill training for teachers and staff with cybersecurity training from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m., according to Talawanda Superintendent Edward Theroux.

Talawanda was rated as one of the safest school districts in Butler County, the superintendent says, but he still wants to take precautionary measures.

The training will cover:

RUN and escape, if possible!

• Getting away from the threat is the top priority.
• Leave your belongings behind and get away.
• Help others escape, if possible, but evacuate regardless of whether others agree to follow.
• Warn and prevent individuals from entering an area where the active shooter may be.
• Call 911 when you are safe, and describe the shooter, location, and weapons.

HIDE, if escape is not possible!

• Get out of the shooter’s view and stay very quiet.
• Silence all electronic devices and make sure they won’t vibrate.
• Lock and block doors, close blinds, turn off lights.
• Don’t hide in groups--spread out along walls or hide separately to make it more difficult for the shooter.
• Try to communicate with the police silently. Use text messages or social media to tag your location.
• Stay in place until law enforcement gives you the all clear.
• Your hiding place should be out of the shooter’s view and provide protection if shots are fired in your direction.

FIGHT, as an absolute last resort!

• Commit to your actions and act as aggressively as possible against the shooter.
• Recruit others to ambush the shooter with makeshift weapons like chairs, fire extinguishers, scissors, books, etc.

Students and families will be notified when upcoming safety drills occur, but for now, the teachers and staff must be trained first.

The drills will be different at the elementary school level than at the high school level.

“First of all, this is why you have school social workers, school psychologists, your health and wellness team at the table for these discussions. It’s critical that the training is designed and developmentally appropriate for every grade level that you’re going to be conducting the training with,” Director of Communications and Public Relations Holli Morrish said.

In previous years, the school district used the ALICE training, which is very similar to the Run, Hide, Fight Safety Drill training.

Parents have the option for the students to opt-out of the information and the training.

Theroux says there will be another safety training for teachers and staff on Sept. 2 at each building.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please include the title when you click here to report it.

Copyright 2022 WXIX. All rights reserved.