Is It Safe?

After 9/11, schools were charged with ensuring that there were safety procedures in place for intruders and other emergency situations, in addition to fire drills and disaster drills. I had suspected that these were not being taken seriously by most people. Then one day:

There was a lockdown (not a drill -- the police had called because there was a bank robbery nearby) about 15 minutes after school let out. The principal made an announcement that all students still at school waiting for rides should come back into the building and go to the media center.

Some students, on their way to the media center, were directed by teachers and the assistant principal to the auditorium instead.

One teacher took three students out of the center and to her room because they had a project to work on. The Safe Team counselor reminded her the school was on lockdown, but she said, "I’ll get in trouble tomorrow," and took them anyway.

Another teacher suggested the kids be taken to the auditorium. She was reminded that the principal had directed all students to the media center. Also, we had been told in a training workshop that moving students through halls when the danger was unknown was a mistake (the bomb or whatever could be in a locker). The teacher left and came back, saying she had been told to take kids to the auditorium.

On the way to the auditorium, students were allowed to leave the building instead. Three to four teachers, two counselors, the principal, the security guard and several parents were standing in plain sight of the primary entrance, and allowed them to leave. One student also was allowed to leave the auditorium and go to the hall bathroom by herself.

Fortunately, no harm came to the kids that day. But very few adults seemed concerned either. These are the people who will be on the news when something terrible does happen, crying and saying they couldn't believe it could really happen "here."