New Kensington-Arnold will evacuate students as part of drills at high school, kindergarten building

Evacuations will be included in safety drills at Valley High School and Martin Elementary School in New Kensington this week.

District officials did not provide dates and times for when the drills will take place.

The district is practicing lockdown and evacuation procedures as part of the state’s safe schools mandate, New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said.

“This is the first time in several years where we have included an evacuation in the safety drill,” Assistant Superintendent Jon Banko said.

Such drills were done last week at H.D. Berkey and Roy A. Hunt elementary schools in Arnold, Banko said. They lasted about 20 minutes.

The district is required to conduct safety drills at all of its schools within the first 45 days of the school year, Banko said. In the past, the district practiced full building lockdowns only. This year, evacuations are being included.

“This differs slightly from a fire drill in that the intention is to get students and adults out of the building through the closest exits and off the immediate campus,” Banko said.

Banko said the district is working with police in New Kensington and Arnold on the drills. The police departments are part of discussions about meeting sites and reunification.

“For each drill, it is announced that the building is being locked down. As part of the drill, teachers have been made aware that they are to get their students to ‘shelter in place’ — that is, get to a corner of the room out of the sight lines of the door,” Banko said. “Administrators and police check doors and windows. Once the internal check is completed, the evacuation is announced and all students and adults move out of the building to designated areas.”