The proliferation of school violence over the past decade-including a recently disclosed plot by two teenagers to attack Connetquot High School on Long Island and the tragedies at Virginia Tech, Columbine, and other schools - has raised the consciousness of school districts and law enforcement agencies in terms of preparedness for such catastrophic events. The Great Neck Public School District has been proactive in working closely with the Nassau County Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of its students and staff. In this regard, the school district will be hosting a Critical School Incidents drill/training session at North High School, 35 Polo Road, on Monday, August 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This training session is reported to be the first of its kind in Nassau County.

Superintendent of Schools Ronald Friedman said, "We take safety and security very seriously in our Great Neck schools. While plans for 'what if' situations are important, if you don't practice your plans, you won't know how they will work in real-life circumstances. That's why we asked the police to conduct a real-life training simulation. Our District Safety Committee, safety and security officers, and administrators and Board representatives will be on site to learn from this important tactical exercise."

The training session, simulating an armed-hostage crisis situation, will be conducted by the Bureau of Special Operations, which is the tactical operations team of the Nassau County Police Department. The Bureau of Special Operations is in close touch with law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S., including the FBI and the NYPD Emergency Services Unit, in an effort to develop a consistent, practical response to school shootings and other violent situations. The Bureau has developed its own internal procedures for responding to such occurrences. These will be utilized in its Critical School Incidents training session at North High.

On Aug. 13, the day of the training session, summer programs will not be held at North High and no students will be present. The public - especially residents who live near the school - should be aware that the training session will involve a large number of police officers, including those from the local 6th Precinct, as well as personnel from the Nassau County Police Emergency Ambulance Bureau, Emergency Services Unit, and Aviation-Marine Bureau. Multiple police vehicles (including helicopters), dogs, tactical equipment, and weapons (inoperative and without live ammunition) will be used. The 6th Precinct and 911 Operators will have prior notice of the event to be able to respond to phone inquiries. A "Police Training Program" sign will be prominently displayed at North High.

Before the start of the training session, at 9:45 a.m., board of education representatives and school district personnel, members of the Safety Committee, and other observers will be briefed by the Bureau of Special Operations. These will include police officers from the 6th Precinct and local police departments, such as Kings Point, as well as guests of the Nassau County Police Department.

Last month, the Nassau County Police Department held a preliminary briefing at North High School, in the form of an interactive PowerPoint presentation, for key school district administrators and personnel, including those from North High, and representatives from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the Kings Point Police. Detective Lieutenant Ronald Walsh conducted the preliminary briefing, which was designed to test the awareness and preparation levels that are currently in place in the school district. He explained that the purpose of such exercises is to have the mind-set to handle these types of events long before they might occur.

Lieutenant Walsh said, "Between 1996 and 2006, 100 students were killed in the U.S. in targeted school violence. So far, in the first six months of 2007, 35 students have already been killed in targeted school violence. Contrast this with the fact that, in the past 25 years, not one person has been killed in a school fire in the U.S. ... 90 percent of targeted school violence incidents last from five to 15 minutes. Most of these incidents take place in high schools. Being well-prepared is essential to saving lives."

Dr. Friedman said, "Changes to improve our schools' safety and security are always ongoing. In our schools, we know that students learn best from experience. We will use the lessons we learn from our experience with this intensive and extensive drill to make improvements in our plans and responses."