BS: School Security/Lockdowns

Subject: School Security/Lockdowns
From: Dulci46
Date: 22 Sep 00 - 05:46 PM

With the school year just starting, I am curious as to what different school systems do in threatening situations, and how lockdowns are handle if a threatening situation arises.

How does your school system decide whether to consider a situation threatening or not, and what action do they take if they decide it is threatening.

In a lockdown are children still sent to the buses if it's the end of the day, and walkers still sent home? And if they are released what precautions are taken to make sure it is safe to release them?

Would especially appreciate the comments of people that work for a school.

Judy

Subject: RE: BS: School Security/Lockdowns
From: Sorcha
Date: 22 Sep 00 - 06:22 PM

I don't work for a school,and I am not too sure what you mean by a "situation", but the Mr. is a Police Officer. A while back we had a bomb threat, and the entire HS was evacuated ASAP to across the streets from the school, and the busses ran as quickly as the drivers could be located. Announcements were made on radio and TV for parents to pick up their children across the streets from the school, and it was checked that "walkers" were well away from the building. (Threat came to naught).

Last spring we had a very close call with a tornado just as school was letting out. Kate usually walks home, but as it was pouring buckets of rain, I went to pick her up. I discovered that ALL students were being held inside until the Tornado Warning expired, and parents in the parking lot had to wait. If a parent went inside after a child, the parent was given the option of waiting inside or leaving without the child. Most stayed inside as they were unaware of the severity of the weather situation and the school is one of the safest buildings in town.

I was aware of the severity of the storm, and had been spotting just moments before. I decided that the tornado would miss our town, and went to pick up Kate only because of the rain. I was correct, the tornado missed us, but so was the school correct in holding the students until all danger had passed. They were much safer inside than they would have been in busses or walking.

Subject: RE: BS: School Security/Lockdowns
From: Susan from California
Date: 22 Sep 00 - 06:39 PM

If the school is actually going through a "lock down" everybody stays put, regardless of the time of day. I work in California, and it is my understanding that if there is an emergency that I could be required to remain at school for up to 72 hours.

Subject: RE: BS: School Security/Lockdowns
From: Sorcha
Date: 22 Sep 00 - 06:52 PM

Susan, what are your Boards' conditions for an actual lockdown where you might have to stay for 72 hours? (In a jail/prison "lockdown" usually means someone started a fight and all prisoners are locked down in their individual cells until the percieved threat is dealt with.) I can't see a 72 hr. lockdown in a school because of a fight.

Subject: RE: BS: School Security/Lockdowns
From: Dulci46
Date: 22 Sep 00 - 07:14 PM

Sorcha, That is great that your school keeps the kids in weather related situations. You probably feel real sure that everything will be handled that way if needed.

Susan, I also thought "Lockdown" meant everyone stayed put, but found out today that it doesn't always mean that at least not in the school district I am in.

I am hoping that this thread will make parents look into how safe their childs school is and if it isn't safe try to find ways to make it a safer and more secure place.

A year ago there was a bomb threat at the middle school where three of my grandchildren go. Security searched the gym and could'nt find anything so they took the children and put them in the gym while they searched the rest of the building. The children where being kept on the buses outside the building while the gym was being searched. Fortunately, they found the bomb and took it to a safe place to explode it. They didn't know how much or if it could have caused damage, just knew it was a bomb.

Today we had a lockdown and the children were released at the end of school even though there was a lockdown in effect at that time, and was still in effect after the children left. Usually lockdowns don't bother me, but this time it did, since I had just been told it meant nobody leaves.

I think it really scared me that they would let the children leave. Well, I got to thinking about school security and how many people actually know their schools policy on these things. It really made me think, hope this will make more people ask questions at their schools.

Subject: RE: BS: School Security/Lockdowns
From: Susan from California
Date: 23 Sep 00 - 01:29 PM

From what i have been told, if there is an emergency such as an earthquake, terrorist situation, or some other threat that made it impossible for parents to pick up their kids, we would have to stay put. I would imagine that as parents managed to arrive we might let the teacher/parents with the greatest need to be with/find their own kids would leave as the # of students dwindled. I guess it has to do with the idea of schools as "en loco parentis" ( have I mangled the Latin? :-) Sorry!) I'll try to remember to find out details next week.

Sue

Subject: RE: BS: School Security/Lockdowns
From: Dulci46
Date: 23 Sep 00 - 02:34 PM

Thank you Susan, I have calmed down a little now. But do intend to ask a lot of questions on Monday. This seems to be the norm in this area, and I feel like either they were over reacting to the situations that arise or they need to tighten their security plan and figure out what they are doing.

There were several times in the last few days this school has gone to a lockdown. Even brought a class in from the playground earlier yesterday because of this. The kids all knew something was going on, even when they were released (and couldn't get back in the building) because the doors were locked.

Fortunately nothing happened, but "what if" it had. That's what really bothered me.

Judy

Subject: RE: BS: School Security/Lockdowns
From: Penny S.
Date: 24 Sep 00 - 05:05 PM

Please, for us in the UK - what is a lockdown, and how would it apply to a school? We have a lot of passive security to make sure that people can't get in, and a bombscare evacuation procedure, and a system for alerting senior staff to difficulties.

The nearest we came to the tornado story was a strong gale in 1990, when parents came and took their children home early, through streets with falling chimneys. We couldn't hold children in the circumstances, though our building had already shown it was capable of standing up to winds of the force being experienced.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: School Security/Lockdowns
From: Wavestar
Date: 24 Sep 00 - 06:23 PM

I remember the first day of my sophmore year in high school, we got a bomb threat. We were all moved to the local college hockey rink, where we got to spend the remainder of the day - more fun than you can shake a stick at.

-J

Subject: RE: BS: School Security/Lockdowns
From: Susan from California
Date: 27 Sep 00 - 12:23 AM

Penny--A lockdown is when there is a potential threat from someone with a gun perhaps, and everyone is told to stay in their rooms with the doors locked. The school I teach at is in a rural area, where guns are fairly common place. Last spring, some guy across the street was waving a rifle (or some other long barreled gun, I'm not up on these things) around. We went on a "code red" which means not to leave the classrooms for any reason. Luckily, the police arrived quickly, and things returned to normal w/in 60 mins. But since the large scale tragedies in the U.S. where kids have been shot in large numbers (Colombine Colorado, Springfield Oregon, Paducah Kentucky and others) people in the states are a bit touchy...

I haven't gotten the specific info that Dulci was looking for, I had a bit of an emergency at school to deal with on Monday, with carry over into today with a kid who is in trouble...I'll try on Thursday :-)

Subject: RE: BS: School Security/Lockdowns
From: Willie-O
Date: 27 Sep 00 - 08:18 AM

I find the casual assumptions in this thread more than a little disturbing! Starting with the term "lockdown" which quite specifically equates schools with prisons--make what you will of that.

Bomb threats were in vogue a couple of years ago at our local high schools. Here they are always bogus; just stupid copycat stuff. Showed up a bunch of militaristic reactions though.

I guess if you treat people like they're in a dictatorship they will start acting like it.

Willie-O

Subject: RE: BS: School Security/Lockdowns
From: Jock Morris
Date: 27 Sep 00 - 09:52 AM

I find it apalling that in a 'lockdown' situation the state denies parents the right to decide their child's future by not allowing them to collect their child from the school. I wouldn't have though that in 'the land of the free' parents would have stood for this denial of their free will to do what they fell is best for their child.

Scott

Subject: RE: BS: School Security/Lockdowns
From: Penny S.
Date: 27 Sep 00 - 01:36 PM

This has been interesting. We installed our security procedures after Dunblane, but haven't really thought it through. We don't have (at present) any way of communicating with the classrooms to tell people to stay put, though we have a scheme to communicate a problem. Nor do we have a drill apart from fire drill, modified to allow for a bomb scare, so that people would know how to react. We don't really believe in the possibility, I guess.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: School Security/Lockdowns
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 27 Sep 00 - 01:55 PM

This has been an interesting discussion. Like you, Penny, we have been made aware by events at Columbine and Dunblane, and have begun developing policies and procedures, but I think deep down no one in our little community thinks it could really happen here. Which is what all the other communities thought, before it happened to them. And the chances are really pretty good that most schools and communities won't have such horrific events- but we've been made aware of what can happen, and we do need to know what to do to keep our children safe.

Subject: RE: BS: School Security/Lockdowns
From: Gern
Date: 27 Sep 00 - 01:55 PM

'Lockdown' may sound oppressive, but so is terrorism and most efforts to combat it. Allowing parents to pick up students sounds noble, but how is this to be arranged during an emergency? By allowing even more people into a hazardous building? By allowing potentially dangerous materials to evade detection by simply permitting certain students to leave, while corralling the rest? Do departing students get to empty their lockers, while others are searched? It's not easy to balance fairness with security, as those in societies where terrorism threatens can attest. At my high school 5 years ago, repeated bomb threats were handled with prolonged lockdowns -- perhaps exactly what the culprit wanted. But who wants to gamble on the lives of a thousand or more people? Two of the lockdowns located actual bombs in the building; one of them directly above my classroom. School officials must take threats of violence seriously these days.

Subject: RE: BS: School Security/Lockdowns
From: Susan from California
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 11:10 AM

Ok, I talked to a personel director who told me that in the event of a natural disaster, teachers are expected to remain at the school site with their students until they are relieved of the duty by the principal. He was not aware of a time limit, but he did say that anyone who left could be found guilty of job abandonment, which in terms of teacher credentialing is a pretty big deal. The teacher might very well lose their credential, and thus the ability to work in public (and many private) schools.