By: Dave Hodges, TLB Contributor.
The Department of Homeland Security and FEMA had interjected themselves, and appropriately so, into the area of school safety. This article explores the premise behind the cooperation between DHS, FEMA and your child’s public school. Most of the policies and procedures make a great deal of sense and should be followed as a matter of course. However there are some very concerning elements which have surfaced with regard to school safety procedures, your rights as a parent and the safety of your child.
The Prime Directive of School Safety
The first mandate for teachers and administrators in the public school setting is to keep students safe. This prime directive supersedes any other mission requirements related to the functioning of a public school. Teachers and administrators as well as support personnel have a moral, professional and legal obligation to tend to children who are in physical and/or emotional distress. The Department of Homeland Security and FEMA have prepared disaster related documents detailing the professional responsibilities for school personnel in disaster related scenarios.
In the furtherance of this mission, public schools are required to participate in various safety exercise drills such as lockdowns and bus evacuation drills. Both functions serve a legitimate purpose and parents should feel a measure of comfort that schools have taken steps under the direction of the government in order to help keep our children safe. However, some plans no matter how well-intentioned have pitfalls and some of the details of these plans should be concerning to parents of school-aged children.
The following paragraphs detail a previous disaster drill, held in Denver, in which the procedures should raise the hair on the back of the neck of all parents
Operation Mountain Guardian
Nearly two years ago, on September 23, 2011, the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA conducted a disaster drill in Denver, Colorado that they called Operation Mountain Guardian. The plan was all-inclusive and basically shut down the Denver metropolitan area including Denver international Airport, many malls, many schools and several other public venues including Sports Authority Field where the Denver Broncos play professional football.
Where will they take the children? Will you get them back and when?
As a part of the drill, several busloads of school children were taken to Sports Authority Field along with their teachers. Surrogate parents were hired by FEMA to attempt to pick up their children at the stadium. The training was apparently a desensitization exercise for security personnel designed to refuse demands to pick up their children from these “pretend” parents. The real parents of these children were not properly notified that their children would be transported to the stadium and would be a part of this disaster drill. As a parent, I would have a major problem with the non-notification of the relocation of children.I find this ironic, because before a school child is allowed to go on a field trip, their parents and teachers are required to fill out a multiple list of permission forms that must be signed by parent or guardian of the child.
I have no quarrel with moving children in an emergency situation to a location of safety. However, I have a major issue when government officials refused to release children to their parents because the authority over a child belongs to the parent, not to a government agency.
In the latter part of the event, as parents discovered that some of their children were likely transported to the stadium, some parents attempted to go to the venue and secure their children. When they did so, at least initially, the children were not released to the parents. Again, who is the sovereign, the government or the people?
And speaking of Denver International Airport, explain the meaning of this depiction which was displayed for years near airport baggage. Where are the children being led by this apparent Russian soldier carrying an AK-47 and wearing a gas mask?
It goes without saying that most major terror attacks have coincided with “drills” used to confuse and distract first responders not privy to the inside plan has been heavily documented, with the 7/7 attacks in London and 9/11 attacks in New York City being prime examples. The aforementioned statement is not conspiratorial, these are the facts surrounding these previous terrorist attacks and every parent, teacher, administrator, police officer, firefighter, EMT and the federal government would be wise to be cognizant of this fact.
DHS, FEMA and the Safety of Students
FEMA has published a training manual which serves as the rough draft model for school safety to be enacted by all 50 versions of the State Department of Education, in times of an emergency. Of particular importance and relevance is a document from the Arizona Department of Education entitled “Staff Skills Survey and Inventory“, which is located on page 76 of their school safety manual.
In the aftermath of the disaster scenario, it would be prudent for school officials and assisting public officials to know which of the school staff members are first aid certified, have experience in EMT operations, can perform CPR, can assist in triage functions and can help with food preparation. Certainly, acquiring a database of people who possess these skills, would be extremely critical in meeting the potential needs of children in the context of a dangerous set of circumstances.
However, on the checklists and procedures form, there are other skills on this FEMA inspired document, which has filtered down from the Federal government to the State level. I have subsequently acquired a document from the Arizona Department of Education which attempts to assess staff skills in times of emergency. The document is listed at the bottom of this article.
In the document, it asks teachers, administrators and other support personnel within a school setting if they possess skills which seem to be out of place for disaster scenario responding in a school setting. For example, the document asks school personnel if they have experience in construction, shelter management, emergency management, structural engineering, firefighting, electrical wiring, plumbing, carpentry, journalists, HAM radio operation and a recreational leader.
Why would schools have the need for people that can do construction as well as plumbing, electrical work, climbing and shelter management? What in the world are schools under stress going to be building? At this point, I would invite you to go to the bottom of the page and scan this FEMA inspired document to familiarize yourself with all of the skills that are being assessed by the various departments of education around the country.
I have asked a number of people to look at this document and explain to me their interpretation of the skill set solicitations. Descriptor terms such as conscription, commandeering and drafting have come out of the mouths of people that I know. People that know nothing of the New World Order and know nothing of Operation Mountain Guardian were concerned when I showed them the document. If one considers this questionnaire within the context of Obama’s Executive Order 13603 in which the President can seize control over all resources including people; I would like to think that these two variables are not connected. However, in these perilous times, it is difficult to not be suspicious.
Conclusion
These events beg the question, are we to understand that school children and school personnel are going to be forced to construct their own residential facilities in some unknown and undisclosed location from which a bus will transport them to? I don’t have a definitive answer, but I know a number of you who are reading these words are thinking what I have thought. Am I going to be constructing our own detention facilities? Will parents be separated from their children?
Is this why construction, electric and plumbing skills are being inventoried in our nation’s schools?
Is this how Rex 84 and Presidential Directive 51 be implemented? At one time, making these connections might have been considered to be ridiculous. However, in the present context, these questions demand answers.
From Page 76 of the Arizona Department of Education
STAFF SKILLS SURVEY & INVENTORY
YOUR NAME ______________________________
SCHOOL _________________________________
ROOM ___________________________________
During any disaster situation, it is important to be able to draw from all available resources. The special skills, training and capabilities of the staff will play a vital role in coping with the effects of any disaster incident. These will be of paramount importance during and after a major or catastrophic disaster. The purpose of this survey/inventory is to pinpoint those staff members with equipment and the special skills that may be needed. Please indicate the areas that apply to you and return this survey to your administrator.
Please check, circle, or add expertise or training that you may have.
First Aid (yes/no)current card | CPR (yes/no current) | Triage | |||||
Construction | Shelter Management | Camping | |||||
Emergency Management | Structural Engineering | Running/Jogging | |||||
Firefighting | Survival Training & Techniques | CB Radio | |||||
Law Enforcement | Search & Rescue | Food Preparation | |||||
Mechanical Ability (electrical, plumbing, carpentry, etc.) | Bus/Truck Driver(yes/no, Class 1 or 2 license,) | Recreational Leader | |||||
Nurse | Journalism | Other: | |||||
EMT or Paramedic | Waste Disposal | ||||||
Ham Radio Operator | |||||||
Multi-lingual (yes / no, what language (s) | |||||||
STAFF SKILLS SURVEY & INVENTORY continued
DO YOU KEEP A PERSONAL EMERGENCY KIT? _____________ in your car? _______ in your room? _______
DO YOU HAVE MATERIALS IN YOUR ROOM THAT WOULD BE OF USE DURING AN EMERGENCY?
(i.e., athletic bibs, traffic cones, carpet squares) _________ Yes _________ No
DO YOU HAVE EQUIPMENT OR ACCESS TO EQUIPMENT OR MATERIALS AT YOUR SCHOOL SITE THAT COULD BE USED AN IN EMERGENCY? _________ YES _______ NO
Please list equipment and materials.
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU FEEL MORE PREPARED SHOULD A DISASTER STRIKE WHILE YOU WERE AT SCHOOL?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
________________________________________________________
TLB Highly recommends you visit Dave at: www.thecommonsenseshow.com for more great/pertinent articles and radio shows.
Leave a Reply