The Oklahoma Emergency Management Association Committee recently renewed certification for Moore Norman Technology Center’s Facility Operations Director Jerry McConnell as an Oklahoma Certified Emergency Manager through 2023.

McConnell has worked in school safety for 11 years at MNTC. He holds an Oklahoma superintendent certification, a secondary principal certificate, a standard teaching certificate and is a licensed mechanical contractor. McConnell also has a background in law enforcement and has served as a reserve lieutenant with the McClain County Sheriff’s Department, is dual-commissioned with the Cleveland County Sheriff's Department and has worked in emergency management for 22 years.

McConnell was the first Oklahoma Certified Emergency Manager in Oklahoma’s CareerTech system and is a Certified Advanced School Resource Officer and a Citizen’s Response Active Shooter Event trainer. In 2016 he earned the Safe Schools Leadership Award through the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO).

McConnell’s unique combination of training and certifications in both law enforcement and education made it possible for him to serve on the Governor’s task force for the Oklahoma Commission on School Security. Out of this task force, the Oklahoma School Security Institute was formed and signed into law by former Gov. Mary Fallin. McConnell frequently presents emergency response topics to the Cooperative Council of Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA), the Board of Oklahoma School Plant Managers (OSPMA), the State Department of Career and Technology Education (ODCTE), tribal agencies and others. 

MNTC Safety Officer Chris Klein said, 

Jerry strengthened MNTC’s campus safety by encouraging school officials to approve a School Resource Officer (SRO) and then partnered with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department to secure assigned officers at both campuses.

McConnell oversees two SROs at the South Penn Campus in south Oklahoma City and two SROs at the Franklin Road Campus in Norman, where one is qualified as a bicycle officer. 

MNTC is a Weather Ready National Ambassador through a partnership McConnell developed with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The program prepares students and staff to be ready, responsive and resilient to the impacts of extreme weather, water, and climate events.

Additionally, McConnell implemented a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) through a FEMA initiative. The goal is to train staff in basic disaster response skills that may be used in the school setting or in the community when professional responders are not available. This partnership includes the Norman Police Department and the City of Norman’s Office of Emergency Management.

To learn more about MNTC's safety programs click here.