MOUNT VERNON — Emergency Management Agency Director James T. DeChant said Highland Local School District has joined local school reunification plans, and interest is spreading to other districts.

“There have been some discussions with Utica schools, and Clear Fork Valley schools are interested in being part of the team and sharing our resources for reunification,” DeChant told Knox County Commissioners on Thursday.

When outside school districts join Knox County’s reunification plan, they will bus their students to the Mount Vernon Energy Fieldhouse reunification site.

Their staff members will assist at the fieldhouse when incidents occur in other districts.

DeChant said the idea is not to have staff from the affected school handle all reunification site duties.

However, he noted that officials from the affected school will be at the reunification to provide familiar faces for parents during the event.

Commissioner Bill Pursel questioned how EMA prevents bad actors from creating an incident if the reuinfication site is publicly known.

“If I said that in an open forum, everyone would know what our tactical advantages are,” DeChant said.

“We had plenty of law enforcement at reunification prior to anybody even moving there. The place is swept and there’s access control and security for that location.”

Additionally, DeChant said EMA wants the parents to know where to go to reunify rather than go to the scene and interfere with safety services.

East Knox activation

Deputy EMA Director Amy Seward said the recent East Knox activitation involved reuniting about 769 students with their parents and guardians.

DeChant said the time frame between the last student arriving at reunification and the last one leaving was 110 minutes.

“So 769 students and parents together in less than two hours. I think our team knocked it out of the park,” he said.

“We have challenges, of course, but in the after-action you can correct them.”

Pursel said people told him they were impressed with how well the East Knox reunification went, especially with providing food over the lunch hours.

“So I applaud your guys,” he said.

Miscellaneous EMA news

DeChant said he did not know how many people came to the three warming centers set up during the recent snow and cold snap. However, he said there were not “missions of unmet needs.”

The director recently met with representatives from adjacent counties, Ohio EMA, ODNR, and the Army Corps of Engineers who are interested in Wally Road and the Mohican campground area.