Practice makes perfect
Safety has long been of concern to school administrators, but in light of recent national and local school emergencies, Southern Lehigh is taking extra steps to keep students safe.
Public schools are required to perform one fire drill per month. In the past, Southern Lehigh has practiced a variety of other drills in addition to the fire drill, but on a less frequent basis: lockdown, weather emergency, and bus evacuation, to name a few.
“Safety is not something you address once,” Officer Brian McLaughlin said of the importance of regular drills. “You could practice a fire drill ten times, but if you catch the smell of smoke, you might react differently.”
Teachers frequently sharpen their skills for reacting to an emergency situation. They are given emergency plans for their classrooms and are expected to familiarize themselves with the procedures. During inservice, teachers practice drills by reviewing protocol verbally, working in teams to solve challenging emergency situations, or even participating in simulated emergencies.
Giving “practice” a new meaning
Nearby Parkland High School took “practice drills” to a whole new level this summer with a real-life simulated drill. With the help of fire companies, police, hospital helicopters, and other groups, they simulated a situation involving an active shooter. The school held the drill before the school year began in order to give faculty the opportunity to learn how to react quickly without students there.
On the evening of September 14, about a month after the drill, Parkland experienced a very similar, very real emergency. A high school student training for the military was seen praying and saluting the flag before he entered Parkland High School. This sparked concern among bystanders who believed the man was an armed intruder. Luckily, Parkland had just conducted the extensive drill, and faculty knew how to respond.
“The school district, police, emergency, and fire service response was incredible and appropriate for what the initial reports were regarding the suspicious person,” Mr. James Moniz, Parkland High School principal, said.
Learning from Parkland
Southern Lehigh is following Parkland’s lead by introducing challenging obstacles into regular drills. In a fire drill, for instance, a main exit may be closed off in order to simulate a real fire in that area.
“In any emergency,” McLaughlin said, “it is very good to be fluid and dynamic…no two emergencies are the same.”
Practice drills are not the only thing that schools do to protect students. Over the past decade, schools across the country have implemented new safety measures, and Southern Lehigh is no exception.
“Things like having to buzz into the building, wear ID badges, and many of our other rules are a direct result of what we have learned from school tragedies across the country,” Ms. Kristen Lewis, assistant to the Superintendent, said. “These precautions, while them may seem inconvenient, are designed to help us ensure the safety of all the students in the district.”
