“We’re kind of used to things like this happening. It’s really unsettling going to school every day,” Eleanor Duddingston, a freshman from Central High School said.

Jimmy Lee Recreation Center remains closed after a 16-year-old St. Paul student was shot in the head by a recreation center employee on Jan. 18. This was the second shooting near or at St. Paul Schools in January.

The 26-year-old offender, Exavir Dwayne Binford Jr., was a community recreation specialist at Jimmy Lee and got into a fight with the victim and another student before the shooting.

Duddingston said that Central High School was closed on Jan. 19 for students to process their grief. The school library held a crisis support group with professionals to talk about the horrific event on Jan 20.
Duddingston said threats and violence aren’t uncommon at Central. There have been three lockdowns in a span of the past two months, and students have brought guns and knives to school in the past.

“I don’t think there’s much security [that’s] going on,” she said. “The only security there is [teachers] yelling at [students] who are skipping classes and that doesn’t do anything.” Duddingston added, “I feel like [Central] should definitely have some type of thing for stopping gun violence and people bringing knives to school.”

Central is less than three miles away from the Randolph Campus, and many students from SPA live in the neighborhood near Central and Jimmy Lee.

Director of Operations and Security John Cole, and Security Account Manager Seamus Glewwe gave an overview on SPA’s security protocol if a similar event occurred near or at SPA.

“In those brief first few moments where we learned or heard the shots fired or knew something was happening without knowledge of what the details are, [the campus would] most likely go into an active threat scenario until we have more information,” Cole said.

Security uses multiple systems, primarily Genetec and Informacast. Through these two systems, all doors would be locked and prerecorded messages that give information on the type of alert and how security is handling it would be broadcasted across the school. The renovated parts of the Upper School all have wall clocks with speakers, while older parts of the campus such as the Middle School and the art and music wing are equipped with speaker phones. The Lower School also has speakers installed throughout the campus.

There have been over two thousand school shootings in the U.S. since 1970. However, research from the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security shows that gun violence can be prevented if the signs leading up to shootings are clear.

Cole and Glewwe shared their thoughts on how security at SPA should be improved in light of recent events. They’re currently working on a program that will be implemented in the fall to train students and faculty on how to better spread knowledge and information during these types of events.

One area in need of improvement for security at SPA “is for students to feel comfortable about the information that they have, and be empowered in the sense of walking through the hallways of school and feeling safe and feeling like [they] know what to do,” Cole said. “So if we can find ways for students to get them that information and knowledge so they can feel empowered and safe and comfortable, [it would] help security as a whole.”

The victim from the shooting at Jimmy Lee was sent to Regions Hospital for emergency neurosurgery and was in critical condition on Jan. 20. Binford was charged with attempted murder and assault of a minor on the same day.