After a Catholic school shooting in Minneapolis at the start of the school year, Sacred Hearts Academy took precautions to protect the campus from similar occurrences.
On Aug. 25, a shooting at an Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis left two deceased and about 17 injured. It happened during Mass. Upon learning about the incident, the Academy shared a prayer during the morning flag assembly.
“It breaks my heart that these shootings are happening across the United States, and it’s definitely something that as a school, we need to be aware of, and I always stress that our priority is safety first,” President Dr. Brandy Ann Sato said.
Her goal was to lead the Academy in taking action with protection, education and security. On the day of the Minneapolis event, Sato walked around campus and checked for all classroom doors to remain locked during instructional time.
Security cameras have been installed throughout the Academy’s campus. Last year, Sato helped form a safety committee. The committee consists of administrators, staff members and faculty. The members plan all of the Academy’s safety drills.
Since last year, the Academy has consistently practiced intruder drills, earthquake drills, fire drills and mass evacuation drills. The students and faculty also practiced evacuating to St. Patrick’s and Regina Pacis Convent across the street from the campus.
“It’s good to know what to do and how to react during these drills.” Lexi Yeager, a student of the Academy said.
After drills, the safety committee gathered to debrief and send surveys to faculty and staff. At times, the school notified families about upcoming drills. They are also notified if incidents occur within the community.
“Practicing the drills regularly is very important to make sure that we’re all educated, and we know what to do in certain situations,” Sato said.
This year, Sato said that she wants to have more unannounced drills to get better at responding to emergencies faster and more efficiently.
The ultimate goal for the Academy is to promote safety for all students, faculty and staff and to keep the Academy a safe place for everyone also to educate students and staff on what actions to take during these events, practice drills or not.
