NILES — On a snowy March day before 8 a.m., Brandywine Elementary School Principal Jim Boger had long been in his office.

From his proximity to the front door, Boger can easily work and keep an eye outside of the building. With snow piled on the ground, Boger rose from his desk to open the door for a few early morning students to slip inside the building where it is warm. Then, he yanked the door closed until the satisfying click of a lock indicated that — for the time being — no unwelcome person could stroll through the doors.

Locks, cameras and rehearsed drills are just a few of several practices implemented in the wake of habitual school shootings that continue to dominate news headlines.

Since the massacre of 17 students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14, students across the nation, including those in Niles and Buchanan, have protested, advocating for legislatures to do something to lessen the threat of gun violence on school property. 

For Boger, part of being an educator also involves remaining vigilant of red flags that could indicate danger. Boger said he watches for things such as a slowly passing car or a vehicle that he does not recognize as a parent’s that might be parked suspiciously. 

While suggestions for how to keep students safe have ranged from arming teachers, as President Donald Trump has proposed, to installing metal detectors, Boger has a unique perspective on these matters that is informed by his more than 20 years working in the education sector. Boger has also served the last seven years as a reserve officer and currently works with the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department.

Before he worked for a police force, Boger said he went to shooting ranges and was on a rifle team while he was growing up.

“I had guns, I shot and I have been trained to use guns since I was 10 years old,” Boger said. “I would have said, ‘Oh, yeah I could carry during the day.’ No. I would have got killed before I had that training. There’s so much more to it.”

Through his work with police, Boger has been through multiple active shooter trainings. Each training he said has lasted between eight to nine hours. Such training is often followed by another half day of review. 

To give those practicing a more realistic setting, Boger has in the past gone through a simulation training at Galien High School, where the “suspect” was armed with a paintball gun.

“That was really intense, and it was loud,” Boger said. “That was a whole new experience when someone can shoot back at you.”

Authorities faced with everyday dangers of coming up against an armed shooter have to possess tactical knowledge, as well as an array of other skills, to successfully take down an attacker without hurting others.

“Then you still have to go and continue the training,” Boger said. “At the sheriff’s department, we train a lot.”

At this time, Boger said the school practices several safety features intended to minimize threats. Boger said the school utilizes close to 20 surveillance cameras to keep an eye on the surrounding property. The doors are locked at all times and those wishing to enter must be buzzed into the school.

“We keep the doors closed. We do our drills,” Boger said. “People are informed on what to do if we have some type of activity.”

Boger said there have been threats in the past when the school was put on lockdown, as many surrounding schools have experienced in their history. Throughout his tenure at Brandywine, Boger said he can recall a lockdown when there was a bank robber potentially loose in the area and a time when a shooter evaded police from South Bend and fled to the Niles area.

Students practice lock down drills for inside and outside threats alike. Boger said the drills are useful in the sense that they show staff the building’s flaws or potential mistakes that students and staff may make so that they can correct them.

“In every drill we find something,” Boger said. “In that process, we have been able to find sticky doors that do not shut right.”

To his knowledge, Boger said he has not heard staff at Brandywine Elementary School expressing any fear following the tragedy in Florida.

For now, Boger said the most important thing to student and staff safety is focusing on what they can do to reduce the risk of threat and that is following established protocol.

“The only thing that I can control is what goes on inside the building and try to keep the doors locked,” Boger said. 

The tragedy in Florida spurred reaction from Niles Community School District Superintendent Dan Applegate, who sent out a letter to parents notifying them that the school would be reviewing school security policies.

Applegate met with local law enforcement, including Niles police officers, members of the Berrien County Sheriff Department and authorities from Cass County Emergency Management. Ultimately, Applegate said they determined that what needed to take place was more training for teachers and staff.

In the weeks to come, Applegate is hoping to host a public forum to gather public feedback on how to address gun violence in the schools. He is hoping to have local authorities attend the meeting as well to provide insight.

Additionally, Applegate said the district hopes to eventually organize a crisis simulation drill involving both teachers and local police. 

Following Applegate’s discussion, students at Niles High School hosted a walk out March 14, in solidarity with the rest of the nation’s youth, who hoped to spread a message to the public that they want change.

Buchanan High School students also participated at their respective school. 

“Some students are talking with administrators about potential next steps,” Applegate said. “Not surprisingly, students who walked out did so respectfully. When asked, students shared they came to honor the victims, to support safer schools, to support gun control, and to get out of class. Back to reality.”