New Gun Safety Protocol

Teachers and staff members were given the task of explaining the reformed gun safety procedures during homeroom over the course of the week of March 26-30. The presentations took place in the form of power points and covered the idea of “run, hide, fight” as well as communicating and staying updated on the threat situation.

The main part of the presentation was highlighting the three safety protocols. The presentation stressed that no one would say the words “active shooter” over the intercom. Instead, they would say something like, “stay in the classrooms, there is a dangerous substance that spilled in the chemistry rooms” or any other announcement that would have all students stay in the classroom or find shelter.

Another form of communication that would be used in a dangerous situation (besides email) would be “Remind 101” which is a messaging tool that the teachers can give and receive messages on their phones.

According to the presentation, lock down procedures will occur if there is police activity in the area such as crime within a certain radius of the school, rather than an active shooter. Active shooter procedures; however, can vary.

When it comes to an active threat, it depends from situation to situation. The procedures go as follows:

Run: If there is an opportunity to flee to safety and away from the threat, students are advised to do as such in order to ensure their safety.

Hide: If there is no way to escape, students are instructed to find shelter and take cover. Once in the classroom, all desks, chairs, and furniture must be moved against the door.

Fight: As a last resort, students are told that they can also throw objects at the threat in order to disorient them.

Communicate: Students are also told that they must call 911 whether or not they believe that someone else already did. Messages to family members and friends are not advised in order to prevent from crowding the phone lines.

The presentation emphasized the idea that students no longer wait or rely on teachers in order to take action. They simply have to do whichever procedure applies to them if the situation occurs.

The same procedures apply to lunch and passing periods.

An additional suggestion from the presentation was that, contrary to popular belief, the school detective suggests that people go closer to the windows/doors since it is actually safer. Walls often cause bullets to ricochet and possibly create even more damage.