OSKALOOSA — It was a training for something nobody hopes will ever happen. The middle school was unusually busy for 10 a.m. on a summer Thursday morning.

An Incident Command Post was set up a short distance from the school, the command center for the active shooter response training.

Oskaloosa police, sheriff and fire crews were present, as well as representatives from all around the state, including Wapello, Marion, Poweshiek and Henry counties, with a total of around 50 individuals. According to Robinson, this has so far been one of the largest classes that they’ve done here in Iowa.

“I’m just glad we got to do it here in Oskaloosa,” said Emergency Management Director Jamey Robinson. “They had a few of these throughout the state, and they were kind of fought over, but it’s good for our guys to do it right here in our own school system. And the school system has been
fantastic. I can’t say enough good about it.”

There were no civilians involved with this particular training. “This focuses on the responders,” said Robinson. “Basically, this is how we as a group are going to come in and how we as a group are going to respond.”

Debriefing was held just outside the main doors of the middle school, tactical gear on, with instructors from the Government Training Institute. “These guys

“These guys are police officers, they’re ex-military,” said Robinson. “One of our instructors is actually an Orange County firefighter, so it’s a good mix
of instructors as well, not just one discipline trying to tell another discipline how to do it.”

In this scenario, shots will be fired, using wax bullets. The first day of training was mainly powerpoint. The instructors explained that this is an idea to take back to their home departments and grow and utilize.

The second day was basic hands-on training. The responders would go in and simulate everything. Later that afternoon, they started using live people that they had to actually carry out of the building.

“Today’s full-blown. They’re shooting, they’re getting shot at,” said Robinson. “It makes it a lot more of an intense situation, and hopefully everybody’s going to walk away and have a little bit better understanding and start developing these plans so that we have a good understanding.”

The training focuses on the response, using a unified command. “When you think of an active shooter, everybody always thinks of the police department. Well, there’s fire, there’s emergency management, there’s a lot of pieces to this puzzle. Putting people down in that trailer away from the scene starts making them think of different things they need and getting those people to come together and work together,” said Robinson.
“It’s nice because Oskaloosa and Ottumwa guys are working together. In a real event, there’s a good chance that an Ottumwa officer’s going to be up here assisting us.”

“EMS (Emergency Medical Services) and fire, we’re always told wait until the scene is safe for what we’re doing. I mean granted, a house on fire isn’t really safe, but that’s what we do, but you know,” said Robinson.

With an active shooter situation, fire and EMS personnel are often staged somewhere nearby. With this training, the different departments are working together.

“Those officers now become security for those guys, to protect them so that we can get in here and render aid quickly. And that’s a new mentality, not something that rural Iowa’s thought about too much.”

The experience has been “really good, good training,” said Oskaloosa Officer Ben Johnston, who was getting his gear ready for the scenario.

As the incident started, personnel entered the middle school’s front doors, weapons at the ready, alert and prepared for whatever would play out further in.

“One shooter down,” came a voice over the radio a while later. “Another victim in the orchestra room.” A LifeFlight helicopter was requested. “So far two critical patients.”

Fortunately, wax bullets only sting. No lives were lost today. Hopefully this training will never be needed. However, these men and women
will be ready and will put their training to good use should the need arise.

Story provided by Angie Holland

There have been concerns that UI Healthcare Sigourney is closing, although that isn’t exactly the case. According to Tom Moore, UI Healthcare Media Relations Director, the Sigourney location is still going to be in place, but without primary care.

“The primary care service is closing in Sigourney because we took a look at our limited resources, especially given the nationwide shortage of positions we’re beginning to see, with the age and the population, and other factors that are leaning towards a shrinking of the available healthcare services, and determined that it would be best for us to step back from providing primary care services in Sigourney,” said Moore.

UI Healthcare spoke with Keokuk County Healthcare, and were informed that KC Healthcare had capacity to take care of the primary patients.

While the primary services will be closing on July 27 th , the specialty care will remain in place.

“We’re going to still be there in a specialty role. Cardiology, or heart services, pulmonology, or people with lung disease, and then urology. We’ll still provide those specialty care services in Sigourney, just no longer will be providing the primary care service,” Moore said.

Moore also said that if patients want to make an appointment with UI Healthcare Sigourney for primary care or to transfer medical records before July 27 th , the number to call is 641-622- 3840.

The number to call after July 27 th to transfer medical records and to speak directly to UI Health Information Management is 319-356- 1719.

Story by George Henry

OSKALOOSA — The Oskaloosa Community School District Board of Directors met Tuesday evening.

Following the typical business of running a meeting, reports were heard from board members. A primary topic of discussion was focused on student behavior. School board President Tom Richardson had some information to share.
There has been much discussion not only with administration but also teachers, parents, other area schools and the Area Education Agency (AEA) regarding student behavior.

At the June meeting, there had been a presentation by parents regarding student behavior, both Individualized Education Plan (IEP) students
and the regular learning population, examining what type of a program would be best suited for those students.

There was also a meeting at the elementary school recently to review the handbook with parent representatives, associates, teachers, administration and school board members.

It is important, said Richardson, to have a wide range of people sharing information.
“What I want to emphasize is […] we are required as a public school to educate all children, whether they have behavior issues, whether they’re
IEP or regular education students,” said Richardson. “The state of Iowa requires public schools to educate all students. We must have a plan for
educating all those, and we’re being thorough. We’re using research to come up with the best way to educate and deal with all these students. This
is extremely important to me, as I know it is with all board members, and I expect that there will be a lot of follow-up discussion as we begin this new
school year regarding behaviors in all our buildings.”
Richardson wanted to respond to some comments that were made at the June board meeting. “Let me first say again that student security and a good
learning environment are our top priority for me and they always will be.”

There had been comments at a previous meeting regarding arresting students, a zero-tolerance policy and handing out suspensions for misbehavior. Richardson reiterated that the district has to operate within the laws that the state of Iowa has set down and that the board cannot make a policy that it cannot enforce.
“We need parents, teachers, administrators and the school board to be unified in how we solve problems, whether they be behavior, academic or any other type that will make the education of Osky’s kids better.”

Board member Carl Drost responded to Richardson’s statements, speaking with concern about student behavior and how it’s been dealt

Story provided by Angie Holland