By CRISTE SCARNATI
Prairie City News
Special to the Newton Independent
One week ago, PCM District Superintendent Jane Babcock may have made the biggest and best decision of her life and the lives of over 1,000 school district students.
Last Tuesday, the PCM School District had all four buildings go into lockdown. This means all of the doors and windows are locked and students are to remain in their current classroom. During a lockdown, no one is permitted to enter or leave any rooms or any buildings until clearance is given by the administration. Over the years, the word "lockdown" has become synonymous with school shootings across the country.
When asked about the incident, both Jasper County Sheriff Mike Balmer and Monroe Police Chief Matt Jones said the buildings had already been locked down by the time they had contacted Babcock with their concerns. Local officers were not certain who tipped off the school, and Babcock wouldn't say exactly what transpired prior to the lockdown last Tuesday.
"I had been alerted by a reliable source and made aware that there could be a safety issue for students," Babcock said in a statement. She concluded, "Anytime there is a situation that may compromise student safety, we will use appropriate measures as outlined by our crisis plan."
What led local law enforcement officers to eventually call the Central Office last Tuesday was a burglary call to the Jasper County Sheriff's office received from a Reasnor resident reporting their home had been burglarized and a gun stolen at approximately 8:00 that morning.
Subsequently, local law enforcement officials sent out an all points bulletin around 11 a.m. for a welfare check on William Robert Gallaher of Reasnor. The welfare check was ordered because Gallaher was believed to be armed and dangerous to himself and others and police officials wanted to locate him.
After the arrest, the Sheriff's office removed guns from Gallaher's home and he was released on a $1,000 bond. Last Monday,(February 2) Jasper County courts issued a permanent no contact order on Gallaher on behalf of his estranged wife, Kristina.
Babcock called for the lockdown at approximately 1:00 p.m., and teachers tried to maintain a low key situation to prevent panic by telling some elementary students the lockdown was a drill. Shortly after the incident began at the schools, high school students began "texting" their parents, siblings, and/or friends who were at other district buildings to try to find out what was going on.
In response to the numerous text messages being sent, the school started to receive a barrage of calls from concerned parents. In order to disseminate information, the administration sent out a "SNOWCAP e-mail alert," an internet communication service provided to PCM. The usual nature of these alerts is to advise parents schools will be dismissing early or starting late when inclement weather is forecasted, but PCM used the service to communicate with parents about the lockdown situation and included in the alert that all students were safe. This was certainly welcome news to some parents, but by no means answered the numerous questions they had. But for students who receive "SNOWCAP Alerts" on their cell phones, they now realized the urgency of the situation, leaving some frightened.
What specific threat, if any, was posed to the district is unknown. In a statement, the Marion County Sheriff's office stated they were notified by the Pella Police Department to be on the lookout for Gallaher, who was driving a red Ford pickup. According to the report, at approximately 1.22 p.m. deputies located Gallaher at the Elk Rock State Park boat ramp (approximately 10 miles south of Monroe) deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Balmer said the stolen gun, reported earlier that morning, has not yet been identified as the weapon used by Gallaher.
Law enforcement officials had located Gallaher at about the time kids had received the cell phone and/or e-mail alert, and the lockdown was subsequently canceled at approximately 1:45 p.m. Students were dismissed at the normal time of 3:10 p.m. Gallaher had three children in the district.
PCM teachers and staff would not answer questions or comment on the incident. Students which provided information for this story did so anonymously because they were concerned of disciplinary action for using their cell phones during school. However, most students did say that communicating with their cell phones helped them feel safer. The PCM administration sent out a letter with every student in both elementaries and the middle school advising them the lockdown was regarding a family situation and students were safe at all times.
School board members contacted for this story would only say that "the system worked, and it is better to be safe than sorry."
Local law officials as well as PCM administration reiterate the schools were never in jeopardy. Jones and Prairie City Police Chief Louis Modlin maintained a presence at the schools and were policing the perimeter all the while the lockdown was enforced.
Although the situation itself was not a positive one, there were several positive outcomes from last Tuesday's scare.
Recent Comments