SAKSCalhoun County's struggle for maximum protection has come to Wildcat country.
And it's on its way to the homes of the Bearcats and Indians, too.
About 50 parents, teachers and school administrators from Saks, Weaver and Ohatchee turned out Monday night to hear a presentation on shortfalls in the efforts to protect the county's schools in event of a chemical weapons accident at the Anniston Army Depot.
Schools in these three communities are on a list of institutions to be fitted with equipment that would keep out chemical agent in the event of a leak. The list was drawn up in 1996, but the schools have not been protected to date.
So, in a meeting on the red-and-white checkerboard floor of the Saks High School cafeteria, with the mural of a ravenous wildcat overhead, county officials urged parents to write e-mails, send faxes and mail letters to get federal funding to pay for the protection.
"A group of parents writing letters will get more response than any of us writing letters," said Delois Champ, operations manager of the Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency.
The grass-roots appeal comes as the county awaits its chunk of $40.5 million allocated to the area for emergency preparedness measures. These funds include $6 million to pay for a study of which schools need protection and to make back payments on work already done. However, the county contends that no such study is needed.
Public schools in Bynum, Coldwater, Alexandria and Wellborn already have equipment that over-pressurizes rooms in the event of an agent leak. This means untainted air will be pumped into sealed rooms so that no air from outside can enter.
Currently, the schools in Saks, Weaver and Ohatchee will have to be evacuated during an accident, a plan officials say is unworkable given the number of buses and drivers needed to be available during the school day.
"Students and faculty members are going to be a captive audience," said Calhoun County Schools Superintendent Jacky Sparks. "They can't jump in their vehicles and take off."
Sparks insisted that he isn't against the scheduled burning of the chemical munitions in an Army-built incinerator. He added that getting the governor, two senators and a congressman to follow through on promises to delay the burns if not all safety measures are provided is the only leverage available to the county.
"Once the burns start, I don't think we'll get anything else," he said.
Calhoun County officials have for years been at odds with the Army and Federal Emergency Management Agency over what it will take to prepare the community for a chemical accident. Monday night's meeting, however, marked the entry of the school system into the public disputes.
Sparks said that meetings will be organized in February in these communities to get the letter-writing help of more parents.
