Lockdowns and Shelter-in-Place-

 

During the last week our Faculty and staff have attended trainings on Shelter-in-Place and Lockdowns. The Office Staff had a training specific to them, the teachers attended one during our Faculty meeting last Wednesday, and the Instructional Assistants attended one this week. The trainings discussed the difference between a Shelter-in-Place and a Lockdown as well as reviewing our Emergency Plan for each. These plans have recently been updated with the help of John Vanderklugt. In the event of a physical threat on campus, there is a plan to lockdown the school and protect the children. We have reviewed the information and will be having drills for both a Shelter-in-Place and Lockdown with the students after Spring Break.

 

A Shelter-in-Place would be instituted when there is a threat of air-born contamination from an accident or attack. A chemical spill such as an accident at DOW would be a reason for a Shelter-in-Place. We also would call a Shelter-in-Place if the air quality became a threat due to a local fire or weather conditions. When the authorities call a Shelter-in-Place, both the outside doors and classroom doors are locked, the windows are closed and ventilation is turned off. Teaching continues however we limit movement to inside the classroom. A notice would be sent out informing parents of the Shelter-in-Place and you would be instructed not to come to the school until we are given an all clear by the authorities. If you do come to school and there are signs posted that we are in Shelter-in-Place, please understand that we are unable to open any doors and that you will need to find a safe location for yourself. Once the authorities clear the Shelter-in-Place, we will send an additional notice with additional information.

 

A Lockdown is an immediate threat that happens either in the school or on school grounds. During a Lockdown, students and teachers will be locked in classrooms and will move away from the line-of-site of doors and windows. All teaching stops immediately and anybody on campus hides and remains quiet. As soon as it is safe, a notice would go out that we are in Lockdown and not to come to the school until the authorities say it is safe. In the event of a Lockdown, the school would be in contact with the police department and would take direction from them. The Emergency plan for a Lockdown has recently been reviewed and updated. In the event of an immediate threat, the priority is to get students to a safe and secure place within the school or surrounding areas.

 

Parents will be informed when we practice these procedures in the coming weeks. We ask that you speak with your children about the importance of following directions during a drill and in the event of an actual emergency. After the events in San Bernardino this week, I am thankful we had been working on updating our Emergency plans and were able to host the trainings for our staff. We pray for all of those who were impacted by the shooting.

Thank you for your support and understanding of all our safety procedures.