We have fire drills so we are prepared and know what to do in the event of a fire. We have lockdown drills once a semester and most teachers don’t give the students a rundown of what to do in a lockdown situation in their classroom. It doesn’t necessarily make sense.

As much as I would hate to say this, given the current reality, the chances of being in a situation that would require a lockdown (such as an active shooter or other danger) are just as high, if not higher than the chances of the school going up in flames. It is the unfortunate truth about what is going on in our country.

I believe that right now, the way schools are doing lockdown drills is not working. If once a semester, in one class is all that we get, and we don’t know about the other classes, are we going to know what to do in a different classroom? What about with a sub? What about if you have an off period and don’t know where to go? I don’t believe the current requirements are enough.

We can change how we react to situations and prepare ourselves for them. I think doing lockdown drills more often than once a semester, and at different times of the day would help. We could do lockdown drills on a monthly basis, like fire drills, but even on a quarterly basis would help prepare students, especially the freshman and other students new to the school. Also, teachers, when you do an introduction to your class, explain what to do and/or where to go if a lockdown occurs during that class. While doing these things may take away small amounts of class and work time, it would be worth it.

My point being: we can’t magically fix the current climate in our country, but being better prepared can mean a world of difference in a real lockdown situation. We need to change our approach to lockdown drills and preparation. Stop going with the usual approach and keep the community safer by keeping the community prepared and aware.