The Lowdown on Lockdowns
During the week of February 10, Hamilton Middle will be having it's one Lockdown drill of the year. Please be on the lookout for a separate communication that will be coming your way soon that will outline some of the details for this drill. Our school district has worked to achieve a standardized approach to these types of drills and having a practice drill allows us to prepare our response to safety threats at Hamilton. In the lead up to our practice Lockdown drill, I want to provide to you some information on the types of threats that may trigger a Lockdown. These types of threats fall into three broad categories that include “Lockdown”, “Lockout", and "Hold”.
A
Lockdown
is an emergency procedure that is activated by schools in response to an incident that immediately jeopardizes the safety of students and staff members. The threat may be inside our building or on our outside campus. If this type of situation were to occur, all staff know to report the incident both to the office and to call 911. As others become aware of the situation, they also call 911 and a public address announcement is made that states we are in a Lockdown. This announcement is designed to be unambiguous so that all individuals on our campus, including first time visitors, know that there is a dangerous situation and to seek secure shelter. (Note: This announcement also tells an intruder that we are aware of their presence, which may get them to take flight away from our campus.) When a Lockdown announcement is made, teachers and staff members follow an established protocol that includes several steps for securing themselves, students, and others in a locked location.
The second category of threat to safety triggers what is called a
Lockout
and is in response to threats taking place in the surrounding community. An example of this type of threat could be a police event at Hilldale shopping center that results in a search for a suspect in our neighborhood. In these types of situations staff members are notified that we are in a Lockout situation. The basic protocol for a Lockout is that all instructional activities continue as planned inside our building, but all outdoor activities are suspended, much like our rainy day schedule. A Lockout is cancelled after consultation with MPD or other appropriate governing entity. During a Lockout, visitors to our building, including individuals who are well-known to us, may be turned away at our entrance. In addition, there is the potential that a Lockout could extend beyond the normal end of the school day, in which case students will be held in the building, and normal end of day pick up procedures will be delayed.
The last broad category for securing the safety of our campus is called a
Hold
. In a Hold situation, students stay in their classrooms and continue normal learning activities. When the end of period bell rings, however, students stay in their classrooms. An example of a situation requiring a Hold could be the need for medical assistance in or traveling through our hallways.
As per MMSD requirements, a Lockdown drill is practiced one time each year at all schools. At Hamilton, the date and time of this drill is established and communicated to all staff members months ahead of time. This year's Lockdown drill at Hamilton will take place the week of February 10. Reminders of the pending drill has been communicated to all staff through weekly updates, including links to established protocols. At the time of the drill, a person from our main office will make an announcement that is abundantly clear that we are going to
practice
a
drill
called a Lockdown. The words
practice
and
drill
are repeated several times in the announcement. After the announcement, all teachers and staff members insure that all students are in a locked and secure location. For the next three to five minutes, assigned staff members move through the hallways to check to make sure all doors are locked. Once the doors have been checked, a second PA announcement is made stating that the
practice drill
has been completed.
In the lead up to our Lockdown drills, teachers work to educate students on the procedures for this type of drill. Unfortunately, we live in a world where the large majority of our students understand fully why these drills are practiced. Nevertheless, please know that our schools continue to be among the safest places children can be at any given moment. My hope is that you will continue to work with us to make Hamilton a safe place to be by observing all protocols for visits to our campus, and by relaying to us any concerns that you have about the ongoing safety of our students. Thanks for helping to make Hamilton a wonderful place to learn and to work!
