Annually, Highline participates in an active shooter response drill, with this year’s exercise taking place on Jan. 21. With students and faculty receiving text and email alerts, this drill is a symbol of the school’s preparedness. 

Alongside this drill, Public Safety hosted an FBI-led forum on what to do in the event of an active shooter on campus. This was no doubt beneficial to the 31 staff and faculty members present on zoom or in person. Information reviewed was summarized in the bureau’s video “Run. Hide. Fight.”  

Yet, are non-mandatory drills and lectures enough? In 2025 alone, three college campuses faced the unimaginable situation of having an active shooter on school grounds. Since 1960, that number has totaled 17. Just days before closing out the 2025 winter quarter, Brown University faced a devastating mass shooting that saw two students dead, and eight injured. 

In the wake of these tragic events, Highline could do well to prepare itself for these events.

While there are several causes that can lead to an event such as this, one contributing factor Brown faced was a relaxed campus safety response.

This included, building doors being unlocked, limited surveillance cameras inside of buildings, as well as a delayed response time from campus alert systems. Concern for campus safety is more than skin deep with the Department of Education (DOE) opening an official review of the college’s safety protocols. 

The Clery Act, which requires all institutions to maintain campus safety regulations in order to receive federal funding, may have been violated during the active shooter event at Brown. These laws that govern the investigation apply dually to Highline.

This leads many to rightfully question, with active shooter events becoming more likely on college campuses, how prepared is Highline if this unthinkable event takes place?

The Annual Security Report (ASR) is submitted to the federal government yearly, and is supposed to provide detailed information on campus specific metrics like training, crime stats, and future plans. 

The information contained within can be a strong indication of past preparedness, and overall provides a story of how equipped Public Safety is to handle a barrage of intense, large scale events. This report is so vital, not completing it with accuracy can deter institutions from receiving federal funding, such as Pell Grants and subsidized student loans. 

Analysis of Highlines 2025 ASR, standards can be found lacking. While Highline has not had an active shooter event from 2021-2025, protocols regarding staff training are befuddled and possibly plagiarized. 

Under the section for Campus Security Authority (CSA) Training, the ASR states the following, “Mandatory training for employees identified as CSA’s. CSA’s are entrusted to promptly notify the University of Arizona of crimes reported to them but are not responsible for investigating a crime or determining if a crime has occurred.”

When asked why Highline College staff would need to report to the University of Arizona, Francesca Fender, Associate Director of Public Safety and Emergency Management responded, “And yes, if we admire the way another college writes a certain section of their report, we’ll borrow their wording and incorporate it.”

While no mention of who CSA’s would actually report to by the Associate Director, Highline’s official policy on plagiarism includes school disciplinary sanctions, suspension, or dismissal. It is unclear if this policy is applied to staff and students equally. 

In review of all campus public safety protocols, Highline’s website clarifies its official policy is the common run, hide, call. This three point system mimics the Department of Homeland Security’s approach to run from the shooter when appropriate. Subsequently to find somewhere out of sight, or a spot with a solid barrier in order with hopes it would deter any stray bullets. Lastly the protocol encourages all to call 9-1-1 when it is safe to do so. 

Beyond these three steps, Public Safety recommends students to become familiar with emergency exits and surroundings of each building. While one yearly drill takes place, if you are a student who does not have scheduled class on this day or time, this will be something that will fall to each individual student to make themselves aware of. 

For students who would like to familiarize themselves with this information, emergency exit routes are both hard to find and confusing. Highline’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), is both out-of-date listing executive cabinet members who have not worked at Highline for years, and the plan itself is redacted. 

No emergency exit routes can be found within the report, and sections referring to protocol are blacked out completely. 

In 2018, Highline staff and students faced the ordeal of having an active shooter near school grounds. In the eight years that has followed this lock down, and with the unfortunate resurgence of these occurrences in the county, Highline has not prepared itself for an unfortunate series of events.