Hello WI Parents,
I want to make you aware that today we held a security drill with the students. I want to encourage you to visit with your child about the drill this evening and reiterate that the drills help us to not only stay safe at school, but also to feel safe in school.
At West Intermediate, we use the Run, Hide, Fight method when conducting our security drills. This is how it looks:
*I make an announcement that there is an intruder, and I say a location. Today I said the intruder was in the front office. I reiterate to students and teachers that this is ONLY A DRILL.
*I tell them that they need to choose whether to run, hide, or fight.
*Through this method, teachers are empowered to make the decision based on what they believe to be the safest option for their students based on the location of the classroom and the location of the intruder.
*An immediate decision is made, and they either run out of the building to a safe location, hide in the classroom or in the closet with the door locked, lights off, and students quiet, and if they hide, they may decide it's necessary to fight. "Fight" is an absolute last resort when the other two are not options. Fighting means they have "armed" themselves with books, staplers, or anything that could be thrown at a potential intruder. They also barricade the classroom door with desks, chairs, shelves, etc.
*Along with Mrs. Lawson, Mrs. Yancer, Mrs. Reed and SRO Adcock, we checked classrooms to make sure students are quiet, doors are locked and no one is seen in the hallways.
*We are required by the State to time the drills as well. Today we all achieved safety within 1 minute and 7 seconds, which is excellent!
These drills are required by the State of Oklahoma. As research on school safety has evolved, we have found that empowering teachers and students to protect themselves is the safest way possible to respond to safety issues. If there is a clear path to safety, they need to know they are free to decide to take that path rather than bound to a requirement based in sameness for everyone.
Drills in school are very common to students. They are truly a nonissue. As adults, the thought of these drills causes way more angst and anxiety in us that they do in our students. How you react to these drills will help students be more at ease with them too. For instance, for our fourth graders, this is the first time they've had a drill like this. Teachers have spent time talking to them about expectations and why we do the drills the way we do them. Because drills are part of school life, our kids know and understand that we do them so we are prepared. That preparedness helps kids to feel safe.
If you would like to learn more about the Run, Hide, Fight method, I would encourage you to visit the link to the FBIs page below. Both the FBI as well as Homeland Security recommend this method for schools, as do our School Resource Officers. As with anything, please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. My priority is the safety of your children, and they deserve to feel safe while at school, and that comes through being prepared. Thank you for your support.
Dr. Shaw,
Principal
SECURITY DRILL INFORMATION AT THIS LINK: https://www.fbi.gov/video-repo...