The document discusses emergency lockdown, shelter-in-place, and communication procedures for schools. It emphasizes the importance of having plans in place to ensure student and staff safety during immediate threats. It provides examples of real emergency situations schools have faced and considerations for lockdown and shelter-in-place protocols, supplies, and communication with parents, staff and media. The objective is for schools to assess their current readiness and identify steps to improve emergency response procedures.

1. 1

2. Today’s Topics…
 These procedures are NOT your Safe School Plan…
 They can be a part of it
 These are specific tools and measures that will help you navigate
through an immediate lockdown or shelter in-place emergency
situation at your site
 And get children safely and securely reunited with their loved ones
 Today’s objective is for you and/or your site team to actively
reflect upon your current readiness
 Lockdown, Shelter In-Place, Communication/Re-Unification, and
Incident Command
 Work together as a team to assess and dialogue about how you
evolve from where you are now to where you think you need to be in
terms of readiness
2

3. Why is this important?
 FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin (September, 2010)…
“…Information in the first few moments may be scant, fragmentary, and sometimes ambiguous.
If lockdown is ordered swiftly and clearly in large schools, the associated protective factors take
effect almost immediately…”
 [However]“…Many rural schools are located in small, isolated towns served by only state police or
sheriff’s departments. The far-flung patrol responsibilities and limited staff levels of those
agencies make a 20- to 30-minute response time an optimistic best-case scenario; in reality, it
may take 45 minutes to an hour before authorities arrive…”
 [Therefore]“…An effective response requires school-specific planning and coordination grounded
in local conditions. To open a discussion on and promote the development of options for action
during those first few minutes when hiding quietly and waiting for help may not be viable are
paramount goals for all communities…”

3

4. Personal, Local, Immediate
Relevance…
Man hunting coyote prompts Waukesha West H.S. lockdown(WI)
fox6now.com ^ | 22 May, 2012 | Katie DeLong
Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 5:34:24 AM
WAUKESHA — Waukesha West High School was put on lockdown Tuesday morning, May
22nd after Waukesha police got a report of a man with a gun. As it turned out, there was a
man with a .22 rifle in the area who was apparently hunting a coyote. The school was on
lockdown for just under a half-hour. Officials say no one was hurt.
BTW: Waukesha West High School serves an unincorporated rural area of Waukesha, WI
(population 7500)
4

5. Personal, Local, Immediate
Relevance (Cont’d)…
THE ISSUE: District 44 reviews BB gun incident
10/04/2012
OUR VIEW: School staff made the right calls, and incident policy is
sound
The contingency plan was in place. The unexpected happened, the plan went into action and
played out as intended. Ideally, the unexpected never occurs, but when surprises arise, it's
comforting to know the advance work was not in vein.
Folks in Streator (Il) know the story well by now, but here again are the pertinent details:
“…At 8:15 a.m. Sept. 21, a Friday, Northlawn Junior High School administrators learned there was
a BB gun in the building. As per the school's emergency plan, classrooms were placed on soft
lockdown. Police were called immediately, and school officials located the gun, in two separate
parts, in two students' lockers. The students were disciplined according to district policy. The
lockdown ended after 25 minutes….One positive thing that came out of it, at the end of the day
we met as a staff and debriefed and talked about things that we could improve on, Nuckles said.
"There were some learning experiences as a staff. We realize in our changing schools (situations)
do happen so we want to be prepared if they ever did…It sounds as if school officials are making
the best of the situation. Other schools in the district will benefit as well, without having to
experience the incident firsthand. Parents need to know and trust that school officials make
student safety the top priority. Nothing that happened at Northlawn should convince them
otherwise…”
FYI: Streator Illinois population 13, 000

6. Pre-Quiz/Test your Knowledge
Let’s find our baseline …
Select the best possible answer…
6

7. During a lockdown, you should…
Ensure the hallways are empty
B. Lock the doors and turn off the lights
C. Keep students quiet and away from doors and
windows
D. Designate a student as a lookout to monitor the
situation in the hallway
A.

8. The Correct Answers are…
 A, B, and C are all acceptable responses…remember to
ignore alarms and bells, verify attendance, and wait for
the all clear signal
 Student safety and security are first and foremost
 Designating a student to serve as a lookout would
therefore be inappropriate

9. When a “Shelter in Place” is required, you
should…
Crawl under your desk and assume the fetal position
B. Turn off the lights and keep students quiet
C. Designate a student to inventory and retrieve
emergency supplies
D. Go on with your day as normal, while staying inside
A.

10. The Correct Answer is…
 D – Shelter in Place refers to a potential danger
outside
 Hence, you would want everyone to seek shelter inside
 “Drop and Cover” would apply to an earthquake
 Turning off the lights would be necessary if this were a
lockdown
 We can maintain normal activities while remaining
inside the building.

11. Question: when conducting "Student- Parent
Reunifications”, you should…
Have clear and concise instructions
B. Make sure there are limited access entry and exit
points
C. Get students off the school site as quickly as possible
D. Make sure your emergency contact records are
accurate
A.

12. The Correct Answer is…
 A, B, AND D
 Getting students off the school site is indeed
important, but it must be done in an orderly and
systematic manner
 To ensure proper transfer of custody from school site to
parent is done appropriately (and lawfully)

13. A Setting for an Emergency…
 Little River Middle School (fictitious)
 Little River MS City population – 5,000+
 No active Local Emergency Planning or Joint Operations
 Little River Middle School – 400 students
 School District lost their SRO last year due to funding issues
and police department staff reallocations
 Mid-April, weather mild
13

14. Scenario
 Sometime shortly after lunch a visitor who had just parked in the
school parking lot and was walking to the school heard a gunshot
followed by a loud scream from a child
 As he ran to the school, he observed a student bleeding on a bench
near the parking lot, apparently injured with a single gunshot
wound to the leg
 The alarmed visitor ran to the school office and reported a possible
assault by a random shooter
14

15. Additional Information…
 The “danger zone” appears to be limited to the school parking lot
 No other witnesses appear to be present.
 No additional injuries or victims are reported
 The student victim was popular among his peers
 A student was assaulted two years ago and the school/district was
scrutinized/criticized for their “lack of response” and because of
the high levels of reported bullying at the school
 The student victim had been known to be a bully
15

16. Problem Summary
 A student has been shot and injured on
school grounds.
 Questions:

How to we ensure the safety of other students / staff and
prepare for the community response?

What immediate actions should the school take? Why?
 Small group discussions.
 Be prepared to share out
16

18. Adult/Supervisory Response to
Immediate Threat…
 What is your responsibility?
 Act and react
 Perform as you were trained
 Accept help and relinquish command and control when
professional help arrives
 The Challenge: how do you preserve and protect the
safety and security of students and staff?
 When situations are unfolding, escalating, and/or
unraveling quicker than you can think of solutions?
18

19. Emergency Lockdown
 Lockdown: Use when there is an immediate threat of
violence in, or immediately around, the school
 Types of threats:
 Shooter
 Fight
 Domestic dispute or disturbance
 Intruder on-campus
19

20. Lockdown Decision
Considerations…
 Is there an immediate threat to the safety and security of students and
staff?
 Can the threat be isolated or de-escalated without compromising the
safety and security of staff and students?
 Can you justify your decision (not to lockdown) should the situation
deteriorate or escalate?
 Do you have any reasonable options or alternatives?
 Trust your leadership instincts
 How will your decision affect or impact students, staff, parents?
 How will your decision be perceived or viewed (structure of your system and in
the context of your leadership role)?
 Get as much information as possible (if possible) to make your decision



From your leadership team
From your district—circumstances permitting
No time to consider politics
 Once you make the decision, commit to it—it’s about safety and security
20

21. Lockdown Procedure
 Students on playground, in halls and restrooms move to






the nearest classroom.
Classroom doors and all exterior doors/ windows are
immediately locked.
Cover windows and door window panels, if able.
Sit on floor out of sight of windows, doors.
Take attendance.
Do not open door or windows.
May only be released from Lockdown by police or
administrator and designated staff unlocking doors.
21

22. Things to remember while in
lockdown…
 Lockdown means LOCKDOWN
 Nobody comes in nobody goes out

Until you are given an “all-clear” from an administrator, law
enforcement, or EMS staff
 Depending on the situation as it evolves…
 There may be limited movement throughout the
building proper

However, again, nobody in or out
 “All Clear” may come via PA system
 Depending on conditions…
22

23. Lockdown
Considerations/Complications
 Students may not be locked in in regular classroom…how






to coordinate attendance
Is anyone assigned to check bathrooms?
Teacher off-campus during lunch…buddy system to
supervise students?
Communications and commands to staff and students
Communication to parents and community
How are staff accounted for? Sign in/out?
Accounting for substitutes, visitors
23

24. Additional considerations…
 When in lockdown…
 There is no time for heroic measures—heroics are for law
enforcement and EMS
 Remained focused on the children in your charge
 Remain calm—even if you are not sure what you are supposed
to be doing (it’s okay to be afraid—but it is not okay to show it
in an emergency)
 Calm voices and demeanor have transferable power in a
crisis—watch your walkie talkie voice
 Conversely, panic is virally infectious
 Convey any concerns or discrepancies/ask for clarity thru the
chains of communication
 Take your attendance in frequent routine intervals
 You must know where children in your care are at all times
24

25. Discussion/Group Work…
 Why is Lockdown planning important?
 Does your site currently have procedures in
place for lockdown?
 Have you practiced lockdown at your site?
 What are your next steps as it relates to
lockdown emergency procedures at your site?
 Needs?
 Constraints?
 Be prepared to share out
25

26. Lockdown Preparedness…
 What are strengths of
our plan?
 ___________________
 ___________________
 ___________________
 ___________________
 ___________________
 ___________________
 What are our concerns?
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
26

27. Lockdown Preparedness
 What do we do next?
 _________________________
 _________________________
 _________________________
 _________________________
 _________________________
 _________________________
27

28. Questions, answers, and
comments…
28

29. Extraordinary Circumstances: “Hit
the Deck”
 Anyone recognizing immediate danger shouts “Hit the
Deck”
 Everyone immediately drops to the ground and lies
flat.
 No one should get up until an adult gives directions.
29

30. Hit the Deck (cont’d)
 This response is usually used in the event of gunfire.
Usually followed by Lock down or evacuation when safe
to do so.
30

31. Procedures and Supplies

32. Shelter In Place…
 This response is used for hazardous materials in the
environment.
 Shelter in-place would also be used in the following
situations
 Act of terror
 Other related impending military action



Locally
Regionally
Nationally
32

33. Shelter In Place: Procedures
 Move everyone inside. (interior rooms on upper
level floors).
 Close and lock all windows and doors.
 Custodian to immediately shut down all HVAC
units . Call central maintenance?
 Seal off all openings with tape and plastic
(windows, doors, heat/ air units, electrical outlets,
etc).
 Await instructions from public officials before
exiting shelter.
33

34. Additional Considerations…
 Are there adequate and accurate maps and floor plans
of your building?
 All doors and windows clearly marked?
 Vents?
 Are there (manual) shutdown instructions for HVAC?
 Communication between staff members?
 Walkie talkies? Email? Phone tree?
 Frequency of updates
34

35. “Go-Kit” Handout…
 Things to consider…
35

36. Here’s what many schools are
doing in addition…
 Individual Child Emergency Kits…
 Cover letter to parents…
 “…Please place the following items inside the Ziploc bag labeled
with your child’s name and bring to your child’s classroom”:
 Change of clothes—i.e., t-shirt, pants, socks, and underwear
 2 small, sealed bottles of water (8-12 oz.)
2 protein/power bars
 1 small package moist towelettes

 “…Also recommended:”
 A reassuring note from parents
 A family picture
 A small working flashlight
36

37. Discussion/Group Work…
 What supplies will classrooms need if the




lockdown/shelter-in-place lasts several hours?
How will communication with parents and families be
handled during the response?
What special preparation will be required for your
current special needs population?
What are your next steps as it relates to shelter in-place?
How will communication within the school be
conducted?
 Backup/redundancy?
37

38. Discussion/Group Work…
 Do you currently have emergency supplies on
hand at your site?
 School?
 Every classroom?
 What do your “go-kits” consist of?
 What are the strengths and weaknesses of your
current emergency supplies on-hand?
 What are your next steps in terms of planning?
 Share-out/questions, comments…
38

39. Shelter In-Place Preparedness…
 What are strengths of
our plan?
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 What are our concerns?
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
39

40. Shelter In-Place Preparedness
 What do we do next?
 _________________________
 _________________________
 _________________________
 _________________________
 _________________________
 _________________________
40

41. Emergency Supply Readiness…
 What are the strengths






of our on-site Emergency
Supplies?
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
 What are our concerns






regarding our
Emergency Supplies?
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
41

42. What do we need to do next?
 ____________________________
 ____________________________
 ____________________________
 ____________________________
 ____________________________
 ____________________________
 ____________________________

43. Media, Staff, and Parents

44. Communication Considerations
 Public information is critical
 Establish protocols in advance for communicating timely
and consistent information during emergencies
 Agreements with community agencies about the release
of information and designation a PIO
 Template letters that can be used in a crisis
 Communication considerations should include
parents/guardians, school staff, and the media

45. Communication Considerations: School Staff
 Use plain language to communicate during an
emergency
 (Sometimes) “less is more”
 Verify information before responding
 Develop a system for staff and student accountability:
 Up-to-date class rosters and student emergency information:


Information on medical conditions
Custody issues
 Identifying students who are not accounted for
 Communication to students
 Students and cell-phones

46. Communication Considerations: School Staff
 Develop a communication plan for
lockdown situations
 Consider emergency plans for after-school
activities (i.e., sporting
events, dances, graduations, etc.)
 Emergency plans for after-school programs
led by non-school staff

47. Communication Considerations: Parents
 Provide information on emergency response procedures
 Reunification procedures:
Clearly articulate parent expectations (i.e., bring photo
id, students released to parent/guardian or other pre-authorized
emergency contact, etc.)
 Translate information as necessary
 Emergency notification systems:
 Identify media partners
 School webpage
 Automatic phone/email notification
 Incorporate redundancy
 Update parent and emergency contact information periodically
 Emphasize importance of family preparedness


48. Communication Considerations: Media
 Assign a single Public Information or “go-to” person” to handle




media inquiries
 Qualities, characteristics, and responsibilities
Identify media staging areas
Establish policies and procedures for dealing with media
requests/inquiries
Coordinate media releases with community partners:
 Ensure that messages are consistent
 Ensure that information released is consistent with state and
Federal privacy laws (i.e., FERPA)
Limit media exposure to students

49. Student-Parent Reunification
 Clear and concise parent expectations are imperative:
 Photo ID required
 Students only released to parent/guardian or other pre-
authorized emergency contact, etc.
 Pre-designated ingress for parents and egress for students
 ONE or TWO access and exit points
 Pre-designated Student Safety and Care Officer(s)


Custodian of student records—to verify parent, guardian, and/or
emergency contact
Incident Command System
49

50. Additional Considerations for Reunification…
 You will be dealing with emotions…
 From parents
 From students
 Your own
 Remember to remain calm
 Calm voices and steady demeanor has transferable power
 Conversely, signs of aggravation and frustration can infectiously
escalate a situation into hostile intensity
 Take a breath if you need to—just say, “pardon me a moment”
 Never release a child to a person unless you verify their legal right to
custody of that child
 No matter how much you think you know them, you do not know
them unless they are verified pursuant to emergency contact
information on record
50

51. Discussion/Group Work…
 Does your site currently have communication protocols in place in
the event of an emergency?
 Do they include reunification protocols and procedures?
 Have you practiced implementing your emergency communication
procedures at your site?
 What are the strengths and weaknesses of your current
communications and reunification plans?
 What are your next steps as it relates to emergency communication
and reunification procedures?
 What measures are needed to put plan in place?
 What are the possible or potential constraints?
 What are some of the immediate, local, and regional realities
that may influence or impact your procedures ?
51

52. Communication and Reunification
Preparedness…
 What are strengths of
our plan?
 ___________________
 ___________________
 ___________________
 ___________________
 ___________________
 ___________________
 What are our concerns?
 ___________________
 ___________________
 ___________________
 ___________________
 ___________________
 ___________________
 ___________________
52

53. Communication and Reunification
Preparedness
 What do we do next?
 _________________________
 _________________________
 _________________________
 _________________________
 _________________________
 _________________________
53

54. Overview of Incident Management Systems and Structures

55. Incident Command
 A commonly accepted plan for disaster incident
management that assigns tasks and allows for
rapid, expert decision making.
 Enhances communication at the incident site
within each agency and between agencies.
 The Incident Commander is responsible until
the authority is delegated to another person.
55

56. From NIMS to (local) relevance…
 National Incident Management System is an
important set of measures designed to create capacity
and structures to for schools and districts
 To help them respond to an emergency situation at a
school site and/or throughout an entire school system
 Key Influences
 Columbine High School incident
 September 11th
 Regional (state-wide) Influences:
 Statewide Firestorms (2003, 2005, and 2007)

57. Incident Command—when do we
use it?
 When the event at the site is or has the potential to
become an immediate threat
 Life and limb of students and staff
 When event at the site is part of or affected by a
local or regional emergency
 Fire
 Earthquake
 Tsunami
57

58. Incident Command v Site-Based
Decision Making…
 Incident Command entails a successive chain of leadership (“chain of
command”)
 The command structure is purposefully “top-down”

In other words, someone will tell you what to do, and your responsibility is to
follow-through with what you are being told to do
 Its design and purpose is to guide the system and its inhabitants
through a major event or crisis from start to finish
 During the event…
 Command is activated and decisions are commands
 Once the event is over
 Command structure is deactivated
 Decisions are collaborative
58

59. Incident Command System: District
or (large) site—per: NIMS
Incident
Command
Liaison Officer
Safety Officer
Public
Information
Officer
Operations
Section Chief
Planning
Section Chief
Logistics
Section Chief
Finance/
Administration
Section Chief
59

60. Reality: Incident Command Structure at a
small school site
Incident
Commander
(Principal)
Public Information
Officer
(School Secretary)
Safety/Operations
(Assistant Principal)
Student Safety
Logistics
Student Care
and Recovery
60

61. Site-Based Incident Command
Incident Commander
 Is in charge of any crisis until appropriate emergency
responder arrives.
 Assesses level of danger and determines level of threat.
 Establishes inner and outer perimeter and summons
additional help.
 In the event of a major crisis the Incident Commander
establishes a command post
 Summons the Incident Command Management Team
to the Command Post
61

62. Site-based Incident Command
 Safety and Operations
 Most likely and Assistant Principal, Senior or Lead Teacher
In some (small site) cases IC, Safety and Operations will be the
same person
 Monitors safety conditions of students/school staff and develops
measures for assuring their safety as the incident evolves
 Determines if response actions/strategies by Emergency Operations
team can cause harm to staff/students
 Determines whether students may need to be evacuated from the
school site

62

63. Operations Teams
 Student Safety (Teachers, Nurse)
 Search and rescue, triage
 Logistics (Maintenance, support staff )
 Emergency supplies
 Communications
 Facility conditions/integrity
 Student Care and Recovery (Counselor)
 Traumatized students
 Reunification with parents
 Recovery/aftercare from incident
63

64. Incident Command Staging Areas—
Examples
 Command Post—Incident Commander
 Principal’s Office
 Media/Communication
 Library or Counselor’s Office
 First Aid/Shelter/Triage
 Cafeteria/Covered lunch area
 Reunification/Release
 Athletic field or play-yard

Open space where entry and exit can be easily limited orr
controlled, modified, and/or restricted (if necessary)
64

65. Recovery…
 The primary objective of the recovery
 Return to learning and restore the infrastructure as





quickly as possible.
Restore the physical plant, as well as the school
community.
Monitor how staff are assessing students for the emotional
impact of the crisis.
Identify what follow up interventions are available to
students, staff, and first responders.
Conduct debriefings with staff and first responders.
Reflection
 Lessons learned/”Plus Delta”
 Implement lessons learned/”next steps” in future action plan
65

66. Reflection and Dialogue
 ICS Reality Check
 What do you currently have in place…


As a district?
As a school site?
 What are the strengths and weaknesses of your current
action plan?

What are your next steps
66

67. Incident Command Readiness…
 What are strengths of
our plan?
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 What are our concerns?
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
 __________________
67

68. Incident Command Readiness..
 What do we do next?
 _________________________
 _________________________
 _________________________
 _________________________
 _________________________
 _________________________
68

69. Little River Middle School--redux

70. Little River Middle School…
 Little River Middle School (fictitious)
 Little River MS City population – 5,000+
 No active Local Emergency Planning or Joint Operations
 Little River Middle School – 400 students
 School District lost their SRO last year due to funding issues
and police department staff reallocations
 Mid-April, weather mild
70

71. Scenario
 Sometime shortly after lunch a visitor who had just parked in the
school parking lot and was walking to the school heard a gunshot
followed by a loud scream from a child
 As he ran to the school, he observed a student bleeding on a bench
on near the parking lot, apparently injured with a single gunshot
wound to the leg
 The alarmed visitor ran to the school office and reported a possible
assault by a random shooter
71

72. Additional Information…
 The “danger zone” appears to be limited to the school parking lot
 No other witnesses appear to be present.
 No additional injuries or victims are reported
 The student victim was popular among his peers
 A student was assaulted two years ago and the school/district was
scrutinized/criticized for their “lack of response” and because of
the high levels of reported bullying at the school
 The student victim had been known to be a bully
72

73. Problem Summary
 A student has been shot and injured on
school grounds.
 Questions:

How to we ensure the safety of other students / staff and
prepare for the community response?

What immediate actions should the school take? Why?
 Small group discussions.
73

74. The Emergency Unfolds: Actions
Taken
 The office staff called 911 and the Principal.
 The Principal made the decision to place the school in
lockdown.
 She made the call over the intercom announcing the school
was going into lockdown and asked for teachers to check
their email for further notification.
74

75. Questions for Thought and
Discussion
 Was the decision to go into lockdown a good one? Why?
 Should someone go out investigate the scene? Why? Or
why Not?
 Why email?
 What information should the office convey to teachers?
 What information should the teachers convey to students?
75

76. Messages…
 911 dispatch informs school that EMS should arrive on
scene w/in 30 minutes
 Police are en-route but they are not in close
proximity—ETA 15 minutes
76

77. Scenario gets trickier…
 20 minutes into lockdown and after receiving update email
from office, one of the English teachers messages back
saying she is concerned about a male student who is
unaccounted for who might likely have had access to
weapons from home
 The 2nd student had been in classes during the morning
periods.
 Police have been on scene for 5 minutes.
77

78. Additional Questions
 Does this information impact your current response actions in any
way?
 What communications need to be occurring within the school, to the
district?
 Is Incident Command appropriate for this situation?
 If so, what Incident Command functions should be initiated?
 Who would be performing these functions?
 Does lockdown complicate Incident Command roles?
 Discussion/reflection
78

79. Reflection and Dialogue(cont’d)…
 What are your possibilities and feasibilities in terms of your
planning in general?
 Lockdown
 Shelter in-place
 Parent-Student Reunification
 What are your constraints or obstacles…
 School site?
 District
 What do you need to do next?
79

80. Thank you…
For More Information…
Excell Education Innovations
Bruce L. Mims, Ed.D
www.ExcellEducationInnovations.com
ExcellEducationInnovations@yahoo.com
Ph: (562) 508-2461

81. Evaluation
 Which idea or topic did you find the most useful or helpful?
 Which did you find the least helpful?
 Overall, I found the presentation and workshop empowering (circle
one)





Strongly agree
Agree
No decision
Disagree
Strongly disagree
 Additional Comments or suggestions…