We are finalizing plans in order to conduct our first lockdown drill for the year. Teachers and students will both be prepared in advance for this particular drill, but the teachers will be the only ones who know when the drill will actually take place.
On advisement from law enforcement officials, we are now practicing this type of drill with a fully informed student body. Several years ago we were instructed to keep our procedure for such an event under wraps so as not to further inform someone, who may have a desire to do harm in school, with our plan of action. Updated training now asks us to practice this drill with students and teachers as a means of “empowering” them with the knowledge of what to expect if the unfortunate were to happen. Initially it sounded a bit counter-intuitive; however, after implementing and practicing the revised drill last year, we heard this very same message from the teachers. As they prepped the students for the upcoming drill, students were asking very good questions which teachers felt helped once the drill was underway.
They say knowledge is power and it certainly appears to be the case when training students (and teachers) for any crisis situation. I am sometimes asked why the parents are not informed of the process or procedures we employ. Again we take our cue from law enforcement. The wrong information out to the general public is information that can also be used against us by someone with intentions of doing harm in the school.
Everyone’s comfort level is different. and I’m sure some of you might feel we should be more transparent with all aspects of our crisis training. Others might feel very confident that we, as school officials, have been properly trained and train our people to react in a way that takes the best available research on such matters and incorporates that information into our training regimen.
As always we continue to review and evaluate our crisis plan at the building and district level but if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me or our interventionist Dave Price at 352-3632.
Thank you!
