Waverly is ‘100% prepared’ if school shooting were to happen there

WAVERLY, Neb. (KLKN) – A school shooting occurred a mere three-hour drive from Lincoln on Thursday, raising questions about how schools locally are preparing the worst.

“There’s a very high level of access to firearms in this country, and there’s high amounts of mental illness, and it can happen anywhere in America,” said school resource officer Dustin Buccheister of the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.

In Waverly, the school district has plans in place should something happen. It uses the national Standard Response Protocol.

“What law enforcement has said over the last few years is locked down and barricade is probably the No. 1 thing to do in an act of violence,” Assistant Principal George Scheer said.

After the shooting, he said reunification would take place at a different location.

But before all of that, the district needs to have safety measures in place to prevent a tragedy from occurring.

“All of our buildings are controlled access,” Scheer said.

Teachers, staff and the SRO all want to foster relationships where students are comfortable sharing their feelings or any important information.

“Every day, you know, kids will come up to me and share what’s happening with them in their lives,” Buccheister said. “Sometimes they’ll talk to me about minor incidents, you know, and wonder about the legality of this or that, and sometimes they’ll come up to me and report major crimes that have happened.”

He said the district is “100% prepared” for a shooting.