Resource officer weighs in on cell phone use during emergencies

PLEASANT GAP, Pa. (WTAJ) – With the news of the Apalachee High School shooting in Winder , Georgia coming to many parents via their kids’ cell phones, it has led some to question on how phones should be used in emergency situations.

CPI School Resources Officer Shane Dickey says that while phones are allowed at certain times throughout the day, allowing them during emergency situations can be a tough call.

“A big concern people get into with the phone issue is that students will sometimes video instead of taking action,” Dickey said.

CPI trains its students to work together during an active shooter situation, whether that be evacuating safely or barricading the classroom door.

“Reaching for that cell phone to take a video is not the first thing they do,” Dickey said.

A student’s first instinct may be to call their parents during a crisis, and while Dickey says it’s “understandable” if that happens, he says everyone’s top priority should be getting to a safe location before calling or texting anyone.

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“We’re trying to teach reasonable usage in a situation like that,” Dickey said.

He went on to say that any video taken during an emergency situation should not be posted to social media but instead, be given to law enforcement for their investigation.

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