During lockdown drills at school, students exit hallways, enter the nearest classroom, move away from windows and doors towards interior walls, and get out of the line of sight of the door, either on the floor or behind furniture. Teachers close and lock classroom doors, turn off the lights, pull down window shades and cover any windows on the doors. Everyone remains hidden and silent until the all-clear.Continue Reading
Lockdown drills are enacted in schools of all levels across the United States to prepare teachers and students for the possibility of armed assailants entering the building. In real lockdowns, while teachers and students remain locked in classrooms, school officials call the police. In some schools, lockdown drills consist of an announcement followed by a wait in a dark classroom, while in others, school officials and police officers stage a mock assault and check to be sure classrooms are securely locked. A number of states mandate lockdown drills by law, but most states require schools to have safety plans in place without stipulating the scheduling of lockdown drills.
There are different levels of school lockdown alerts. Level 1 specifies an immediate threat during which all teachers and students hide in classrooms. Level 2, a lock-in, stipulates a possible threat in the area. School officials lock all doors to the outside, and all outside activities are canceled until the threat is over.Learn more about K-12