MASON CITY – Mason City and Clear Lake School Superintendent Anita Micich confirmed today that both school districts are reviewing security and emergency preparedness at individual school sites.
Micich said Tuesday that the school districts have a safe schools/emergency preparedness plan that provides a set of procedures to follow in case of emergency. She said the districts review the plan routinely.
“This most recent tragedy automatically sets school districts in motion to review,” Micich explained. “We are already reviewing the current status of each individual school site and the security measures in place and what additional supports/changes may be necessary. Hal Minear, Assistant Superintendent and I visited this morning and he will be contacting Homeland Security to schedule an audit update of our facilities as part of our process. However, we will continue to move forward on our review as we wait for response back from Homeland Security. We will follow a similar process for the Clear Lake School District as well.”
To date, North Iowa area schools have been spared and have suffered no tragedies or major emergencies.
In recent memory, the only emergency reported to the media in Mason City was a “code red” situation last October after a home invasion in the city near Roosevelt Elementary and Lincoln Intermediate schools. Both schools were placed in “lock down” until police could clear suspects from the area.