Santa Nella school, Sheriff’s Office train for active shooters and hostage scenarios

The Merced County Sheriff’s Office and Romero Elementary in Santa Nella partnered up Wednesday to put into action the school’s safety plan so staff and deputies would know what to do in situations no one expects but everyone fears.

For a couple hours in the afternoon, sheriff’s deputies simulated active shooter and hostage scenarios, and school staff members practiced keeping students safe and communicating during a crisis. No elementary school students were on campus during the training, but Gustine High students were bused in to play the roles of students.

“The idea is that Romero is ready for anything that hits it,” said Deputy Brian Miller, the school’s resource officer with the Sheriff’s Office. “We want to send the message: ‘Don’t mess with Romero because we’re ready.’ ”

Romero, part of Gustine Unified School District, poses some unusual complications because it is in a rural part of the county. Since the school is in a remote area, on West Luis Road in Santa Nella, the Sheriff’s Office serves as the first responders there. That’s why it’s important for the Sheriff’s Office to be a part of the school’s safety and lockdown plan, said Principal Lisa Filippini.

The goal of Wednesday’s training was to enhance communication and coordination between the school, district and Sheriff’s Office, Miller said. Such an effort requires cooperation from departments such as maintenance, transportation, ambulance services and more.

“Today we’re putting our plan into action to see what works and doesn’t work,” Filippini said. “We want to make sure the plan we have in place is a workable plan.”

Schools are required to practice lockdown protocol once a semester, Miller said. Just like a fire drill, Romero practices lockdowns once a month.

In the first scenario, about 30 school staff members practiced their lockdown protocol as two sheriff’s deputies took on the role of active shooters. The sheriff’s SWAT unit practiced dealing with the shooters as well, even handcuffing the shooters after they were “dead.” During the scenario, the actors used a capped gun and another that shot blanks and was triple-checked by a safety crew.

As the sound of gunshots rang out throughout the campus, the Gustine High students in the classrooms said they weren’t afraid – but only because they knew what was coming.

“I jumped, but I wasn’t scared,” said Leonore Rowan, a junior at Gustine.

The students practiced familiar lockdown drills but also understood why the training was important as active shooter and hostage situations in schools have increased across the nation.

“It’s important, and every kid should know what to do,” Rowan said.

Though the students weren’t worried about the violent scenarios playing out in Gustine, they acknowledged it as a possibility.

“It’s a possibility that’s still in the back of my mind,” said Rose Adams, a 10th-grader. “You have to use common sense. You can’t flip out and panic. You have to stay calm.”

Filippini said schools need to practice the active shooter and hostage training and scenarios to keep everyone safe.

“We do (the training) now because, unfortunately, there are too many of them (shootings),” she said. “We want to be prepared to keep our students and staff safe.”

This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Santa Nella school, Sheriff’s Office train for active shooters and hostage scenarios."