Oklahoma School Installs Classroom Shelters for Storms, Emergencies

Oklahoma School Installs Classroom Shelters for Storms, Emergencies

Osage Hills School in Bartlesville, Okla., has installed shelters in classrooms to protect students and staff during storms and other emergencies.

  • By Jessica Davis
  • May 10, 2019

Osage Hills School in Bartlesville, Okla., has installed shelters in classrooms to protect students and staff during storms and other emergencies.

Osage Hills School officials started thinking about storm shelters after the Moore tornado in 2013. Voters passed a bond that included $180,000 set aside for a few large storm shelters, but administrators altered the plan after the school shooting in Parkland, Fla.

"We decided we needed to see if we could find a way that we wouldn’t have to transition kids into hallways or throughout the building. They didn’t have time in Parkland to move kids around," Osage Hills School Superintendent Jeannie O'Daniel said.

Osage Hills now has 13 bulletproof EF-5 tornado shelters. Every classroom has a shelter, and the shelters are protected with three latches and can be locked with a deadbolt from the inside.

The shelters are open to the public for use in emergencies as long as it’s during school hours. The largest shelter holds about 50 people, and the shelters in the classrooms hold about 30.

"We recently had storms in the area and we had parents calling us telling us, just keep my kids there after school because I know they’re safer there than if I were to come and get them," O'Daniel said.

According to O’Daniel, the smaller shelters in the classrooms cost $10,000 each. The larger shelter cost the district $24,000.

The shelters are wheelchair accessible and include outlets and LED lighting.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • ASIS International Introduces ANSI-Approved School Security Standard

    ASIS International, a leading authority in security standards, is excited to announce the release of its American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-approved standard designed to provide a framework for developing, implementing, maintaining, and improving school security. The first comprehensive standard of its kind provides a critical benchmark for assessing and improving a school’s security posture regardless of size and funding. Read Now

  • High School Football Game Security

    The high school football season is scheduled to commence across the country in the coming weeks. The players and coaches have worked extremely hard preparing for a successful season. Students, parents, and the community are ready to support their teams. Read Now

  • Partner Alliance for Safer Schools Releases 2025 Update to Safety and Security Guidelines for K-12 Schools

    The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) has released the seventh edition of its Safety and Security Guidelines for K-12 Schools, which offer the most comprehensive information available on nationwide leading practices specifically for securing school facilities, from subject matter experts across the education, public safety and industry sectors. Read Now

  • Enhancing K-12 Campus Safety with Smart Sensors

    In today’s educational environment, school safety is a top priority—not just for administrators, but for parents, students, and entire communities. Gone are the days when locking doors and hiring a school resource officer were sufficient deterrents to threats. Read Now

Most   Popular