Roy Cooper
North Carolina Attorney General

For immediate release
Date:  July 29, 2002		 Contact:  John Bason
Phone:  919/716-6413

 
Attorney General Cooper shares safety initiative with private and charter schools

Critical Incident Response Kits already in place in public schools


Raleigh:  Kits designed to help schools prepare for and respond to a crisis are going out to 778 private and charter schools in North Carolina, Attorney General Roy Cooper announced today.

"Across North Carolina, students are getting ready to head back to school," said Cooper.  "We want to make sure that all of our schools, both public and private, are ready to provide a safe environment for students."

Cooper, in conjunction with the Department of Public Instruction and Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, worked to develop the Critical Incident Response Kit to help school personnel, law enforcement officials, and emergency responders in the event of a critical incident.

Officials at private and charter schools across North Carolina will receive a videotape of "What To Do In The First 20 Minutes" and a booklet that details how to assemble a Critical Incident Response Kit.

Once completed by the school, the kit should include:  Architectural blueprints for the school; cut-off procedures for fire alarms, utilities, sprinkler systems, and cable television; keys to the school in a separately locked container; information on evacuation routes; and emergency contact information.

The video, "What To Do in the First 20 Minutes," shows teachers, school administrators, and law enforcement responding appropriately to a dramatization of a school shooting incident.  The video then goes through the incident step-by-step to explain recommended procedures for dealing with a crisis.  Production of the video was made possible by a grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission.

Cooper’s office worked with the Division of Non-Public Schools, the Division of Charter Schools, and the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Raleigh and Charlotte to identify the 778 private and charter schools that will receive kits.  Kits and videos were provided to all North Carolina public schools earlier this year.

"A Columbine-type killer might not distinguish between a public and a private school.  We hope and pray that a critical incident never occurs in any school," said Cooper, "but we owe it to our children to make sure all of our schools are prepared."