And this goes for the "infamous" lock down drills we've been seeing so much coverage of here lately in the media. I don't know if this explanation helps with the perception so many seem to have toward drills, in general, but I thought I'd put it out there as a means to an end - safer schools.
Exactly! Practice makes perfect. Did you know this week is Fire Prevention Week? There's a campaign encouraging everyone to practice their evacuation drills at home.
The Fire & Life Safety Educators of Colorado is proud to announce the 1st annual Great Colorado Fire Drill in 2014. During Fire Prevention Week, they are encouraging all families to plan and practice home escape plans. Please visit
www.GreatColoradoFireDrill.org
for more information.
That was a very well done video, thank you for sharing ZHawke. (Embedding it so we can see the title and play it right here!)
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
Here's another one of those simple ways to help address the issue of school security although unless I missed it there was no mention of the costs associated with retrofitting schools with this device. Nor did it go into detail about whether or not every classroom has one or just the administration office.
A "newer" resource web site dedicated to school safety started by two mothers of victims of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School:
www.safeandsoundschools.org/
Some school safety experts believe money spent on installing this technology might be better spent elsewhere, such as on school resource officers, psychologists, counselors, more practical day-to-day security equipment, training staff, etc.
While I can certainly understand the fears associated with the type of drill this teacher talks about, I cannot, in all good conscience, dismiss the use of lockdown drills out of hand.
It seems to me the school in which these lockdown drills are being conducted could do a much better job of broadening their spectrum of scenarios and response actions to more accurately reflect the types of hazards their particular school might face. I also would encourage schools everywhere to visit the I Love U Guys Foundation, learn about, and then consider implementing their Standard Response Protocols as an "alternative" to the very scary "lockdown" drill focused solely on active shooter situations.
ZHawke wrote: Some school safety experts believe money spent on installing this technology might be better spent elsewhere, such as on school resource officers, psychologists, counselors, more practical day-to-day security equipment, training staff, etc.
Personally, I'd like to see more spent on resource officers, psychologists/counselors, and teachers' continuing education. Let's be more proactive than reactive and help kids before they grow up and become so despondent or angry that they make irreversible, terrible choices. Let's make sure that teachers can better identify at-risk kids and refer them to those who have more in-depth training, and have more teachers so they can concentrate on fewer students and provide better quality one-on-one education.
While I feel for that teacher in the article for your last post ZHawke, I'm also glad that she briefly experienced what it might really be like b/c she was unsure if it was real or not. I like the idea of broadening their practice to different types of scenarios. An active shooter incident is much different than a wildfire, or a volcano exploding nearby, yet all require standard operating protocols and training drills to make sure everyone is on the same page and the students are kept as safe as possible.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
This OpEd talks about many of the things we've already covered in this forum. One thing it does beyond what we've said is contained in the very last paragraph, and that is it looks at an often overlooked aspect of "what if"?
Take a look for yourself, and perhaps think about some of the unintended consequences of those knee-jerk reactions so many are willing to embrace following these kinds of tragedies.
