In the wake of a recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 children and two teachers died, public school officials on Vashon, as well representatives of King County Sheriff’s Office and Vashon Island Fire & Rescue have recently outlined some of the issues that Vashon would face in a similar situation — as well as plans and mitigations for gun violence already in place for this ferry-dependent island with a minimal law-enforcement presence.

According to King County Sheriff’s Office Media Relations Officer Corbett Ford, the Sherriff’s Office typically has two deputies on Vashon at a given time.

In the event of a lockdown or active shooter situation, the deputies on the island would respond to the event in progress, Ford said.

If additional support was needed, he added, the Sherriff’s office could also get assistance from Guardian One, the office’s air support unit, the department’s marine unit, agencies in Tacoma and Pierce County, or could even commandeer a Washington State Ferry to transport more officers to the island.

The time to respond with these kinds of extra reinforcements would depend on several factors, said Ford, but additional officers could potentially arrive on the island in an emergency in about 30 minutes.

Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR) Chief Charles Krimmert said that while VIFR does not have a specific plan in place for an active shooter or lockdown situation, the district acts, in all its responses, based on how the Sheriff’s recommendations, as VIFR is focused on being able to “treat and serve.”

He also added that VIFR is currently also in the process of purchasing body armor for its employees in order to provide more protection for members in responding to calls.

An email to parents of VISD parents, sent on June 23 by the district’s superintendent, Slade McSheehy, detailed more broad plans to both prevent and respond to an active shooter incident, as well as other safety threats in local schools.

McSheehy’s letter addressed some of a list of questions emailed to McSheehy and school principals by The Beachcomber on June 1, immediately after the Uvalde shooting. In a follow-up email, on June 5, The Beachcomber told McSheehy and the principals it planned to delay the publication of its article on school safety preparations until the end of the school year.

A reminder to the school officials about the questions, sent on June 23, was answered with an advance copy of the lengthy communication to parents sent out later that day.

In the email communication to parents, McSheehy said VISD has “adopted a comprehensive and holistic approach that includes mental health supports, physical safety, and emergency preparedness” to keep students, staff and the community safe.

This approach included a partnership with Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD) — an entity that provides training and other programs that McSheehy described as “culturally responsive and trauma-informed.” Through this four-year partnership, McSheehy said, the district has held five Level 1 threat assessment meetings and put into place plans to support students as they return to school after an incident.

The Sheriff’s office and fire district both have access to all three schools at all times, he said. Pre-pandemic, he said, the district had encouraged a stronger presence of both local law enforcement and fire district personnel in Vashon schools, including lunch visits and service calls to high school dances. This presence, he said, can now return.

He also said that each school has a building safety plan in place, which is updated and reviewed on an annual basis. The plans, he said, include safety drills, which the state requires schools to practice once a month. The drills prepare students for three types of responses — sheltering in place to limit exposure to outside threats or hazardous materials, lockdowns to isolate students and staff from threats of violence, and evacuation to move students and staff away from both threats of violence as well as other hazards including fires.

The safety plan covers the possibilities of incidents from start to finish, including reunification plans for students after an incident, according to McSheehy.

Currently, the schools also employ campus monitors or other similar positions to help implement student supervision and implement safety practices on a daily basis, he said.

The district also emphasizes measures aimed at intervention, before a violent incident can occur.

“We encourage students, families, community and staff to report any concerning behaviors to a trusted school staff or trusted adult,” McSheehy said. “Our school administration is trained to identify potential danger signs and work to provide training to district staff to be able to do the same.”

An anonymous alert system in place in the district, he said, enables students to confidentially report information about student safety, violence, alcohol and other drug use, self-harm or suicide.

McSheehy also said other preventive efforts have included some recent hardening of school buildings, including new blinds at Student Link and McMurray Middle School that allow those inside to see what is outside, but those outside to have no view inside classrooms.

New building access systems have also been updated, he said, and enhanced video surveillance systems have also been installed at all three local schools.

McSheehy said that the district staff investigates all concerns about potential violence.

”The investigative steps undertaken depend on the concerns raised and evidence presented, but may include interviews, working with law enforcement, home visits to check for access to weapons, and a review of past history,” said McSheehy. “Depending on the findings of an investigation, law enforcement may take action, we may issue disciplinary consequences, and we may connect individuals with additional resources including mental health services.”

Going forward, McSheehy pledged to take a number of additional steps to address the possibility and prevention of violence in district schools, including holding meetings of the schools’ safety committees to review what happened in other instances, such as Uvalde.

”While many details are still being discovered from the recent incident in Uvalde, [our] staff is looking to enhance active threat training when we start the 2022-2023 school year and ensure every school staff member has an opportunity to take part, review, and enhance our lockdown drills with students while also making sure they take place on a timely basis each year,” he said.

He said that the district would return to its pre-pandemic practice of holding regularly scheduled, district-wide tabletop drills.

Additionally, McSheehy said, the district would review how its active threat training is presented to different ages of students, and share school safety plans and information with families throughout the year.