When he heard about President George Bush’s plans to hold a conference on the heels of the Amish schoolhouse shooting, Terry contacted the federal Department of Education and asked for an invitation. He said he wanted to be sure his school’s Crisis Response Team was working along the same lines as others across the country and to see what additional guidance the federal government might be able to give school administrators.

At the Oct. 10 conference in Chevy Chase, Md., the first-year Cocalico principal attended panels on preventing violence, preparing schools and communities, and helping communities heal and recover. When he returned to school, Terry met with other members of his safety group and instituted a few changes. One way they adjusted their emergency response was to outline a way for teachers to identify police or other “good guys” in a lock-down situation. It was an item that had been overlooked, but one that Terry felt confident adding after hearing from other school and police officials.

Now, he said, the Cocalico team is better prepared than ever.

“I feel we’re prepared for an emergency,” Terry said. “We have a very good Crisis Response Team, and we’re always updating our information.”

Immediately after the shootings in Nickel Mines, Terry met with his school’s newspaper staff to help reassure them that their school was prepared.

“What they said was ‘We didn’t know any of those people, but they were kids and they were in a school building,’ ” Terry recounted. “They are aware and I think all of the students in America are aware that these things are happening.”

But at the conference, Terry learned that there were 37 school shootings between 1975 and 2000, far fewer than it might seem from watching the news. Terry said one of his major concerns about school violence is that it takes the focus off of every day problems that also need urgent attention.

“These things don’t happen very often,” Terry said. “Yes, it’s a major deal. People do get killed sometimes, but kids are participating in drug use and alcohol and other things every week or every weekend it seems. We need to take care of those things too.”

He said experts at the conference who’ve studied suspects in school shooting cases point to two main factors that lead to violence. The first, Terry said, was that the shooters were bullied and didn’t get help from school administrators. The second was that administrators were not seen as consistent in handing out punishments.

Terry said he thought it was helpful to know what motivates some shooters, especially if such knowledge could prevent another tragedy. He would, however, have liked to see more school-level officials invited to the conference.

In addition to the president and Laura Bush, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings and other panel members, there were both a few superintendents and teachers on hand. But, Terry said many of the people in the audience were selling equipment or systems related to school safety&tstr;not the people who would actually implement changes in schools.

That’s why he’s doing more to get the word out to other teachers and administrators in Pennsylvania. On Nov. 1, Terry and two other local principals will facilitate a school safety conference organized by Rep. Joe Pitts, R-District 16. Solanco High School Principal Gerard Rosolie and Reading High School’s Wynton Butler also attended the conference in D.C. and are expected to recount what they learned.

“The sad reality is that school violence is a very real issue right now,” Pitts said through a spokesperson. “The forum I’m holding in the 16th District is aimed at spreading information and strategies on school safety to as many local schools as possible so that our kids are better protected.
The breakfast event will be held at Yoder’s Country Market in New Holland and is open to any 16th district school official that wants to attend.
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