On Friday, March 21, 2025, Midview Local Schools will host a district-wide safety drill in collaboration with local law enforcement and emergency personnel. This full-scale exercise, which has been in careful planning since August 2024, will take place on the Midview Local Schools campus while students are off for a scheduled professional development day.
Dr. Frank Major, Superintendent of Midview Local Schools, emphasized the importance of the drill in ensuring the safety of students and staff. “Each year, school districts are required to conduct Emergency Management Tests. While we regularly conduct various safety drills throughout the school year, it has been over a decade since we last held a full-scale active shooter/intruder drill. By working together with our emergency responders, we can continue to strengthen our response strategies and enhance the safety of our schools.”
The exercise will be led by the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office in collaboration with local police and fire department personnel from Eaton Township, the Village of Grafton, and Grafton Township. Several neighboring agencies will also attend as observers. The primary goal of the drill is to refine internal safety protocols and provide emergency personnel with an opportunity to practice coordinated response efforts in a controlled environment. Midview Local Schools staff will practice lockdown procedures and emergency response protocols, with elements of the drill including simulated real-world conditions, such as the firing of blank rounds for training purposes.
“A full-scale exercise will allow the leadership of all agencies involved to test training, policies, and procedures in a controlled environment,” said Kevin Blair, Assistant Fire Chief of Eaton Township Fire and Rescue Department. “The ability to observe what each agency has set for this type of response, and how it works in real time, is crucial to ensuring a prepared response from all agencies.”
Blair also acknowledged the concerns such exercises can raise. “Hearing the words ‘active shooter’ or ‘active attack’ is unsettling, and unfortunately, they are words we hear far too often today. Knowing that an exercise of this nature is taking place where we send our children, where our friends/family work, or where many of us graduated from brings the fear of the unthinkable to the forefront. As a father of two Midview elementary students and a proud Midview alumnus, I understand those fears. The sole purpose of this drill is to ensure that our leadership teams are doing everything possible to keep our students, staff, and community safe,” he said.
Sgt. Kenneth Jake of the Grafton Police Department highlighted the collaborative nature of the training. “The exercise will simulate law enforcement and Fire/EMS response plans to an active shooter, helping to assure a coordinated, timely, and effective response and recovery in the event of a major incident,” said Sgt. Jake. “Significant law enforcement will be present during the exercise, and in order to avoid any confusion, the public is being notified ahead of time. The exercise is closed to the general public.”
To minimize disruptions, all campus entrances will be blocked off, with signage indicating that a safety drill is in progress.
“Maintaining a strong partnership between Midview Local Schools and our emergency response teams is essential to ensuring the safety of students and staff,” Blair added. “This drill will highlight our ability to work together and keep our community safe.”
Following the conclusion of the drill, a debriefing session will be conducted with administrators, staff, and emergency responders to assess any necessary updates to school safety protocols.