In Active Shooter Situation Are You Allowed to Run Outside?

[Anonymous]

Question regrading lock down vs. evacuate in an active shooter situation. Right now the protocol is to lock down, teachers and students lock classroom door and block the door with desks, lights out, hide behind furniture quietly. My question is, what if you can hear gun shots and know where the shooter is located, if the shooter is not near your location of the building, are you allowed to take your students outside via a hidden exit that is close to your room? Or do you have to just sit and wait? If you ran outside does it mean you break lock down rules?

This WPo article says to run outside if you can: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2023/active-shooter-what-to-do/

[Anonymous]

Who cares what you're "allowed" to do. You use your best judgment to save lives. Break a window if you must. Also, active shooter training says "run" "hide" "fight" notice run is first.

[Anonymous]

Oh my god. How about we “man up” in this country to the Second Amendment radicals and their enablers, and put some reasonable restrictions on who can buy weapons of mass murder and under what conditions. Some kook shouldn’t be able to assemble an arsenal at Walmart and wipe out a first grade class in one afternoon. Maybe if we started holding the enablers personally liable the message would get through - some things are more important than unfettered access to your toys.

[Anonymous]

Active shooter guidance for adults is run, hide, fight. I e told my child not in APS but in an AC private to climb out the window if possible. We’ve taught him what we are taught- deep breathe, focus, use your wits and intuition- run, hide fight. I know the drills they do are not specific to active shooters.

I’m not teaching my kid to be a sitting duck.

[Anonymous]

I told my kids that if they are near a door to run towards home

[Anonymous]

When on the ground floor I told my kid to bail out if a window and run to a business that was near the school.
Now she’s on the 3rd floor so can’t escape.
They stay and hide, door locked and window covered.
I work in L/E

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When on the ground floor I told my kid to bail out if a window and run to a business that was near the school.
Now she’s on the 3rd floor so can’t escape.
They stay and hide, door locked and window covered.
I work in L/E

Can his teacher allow him to climb window and run out? Maybe "allow" is not the right word, I mean does the teacher get in trouble for letting the students do this? You know, if it didn't end well.

[Anonymous]

"Allowed" is interesting here. I can't imagine a teacher being fired for getting their class out of the building during an active shooter.

And if you keep your class safe in an active shooter situation, who gives a damn what the admin or others say about it afterwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Allowed" is interesting here. I can't imagine a teacher being fired for getting their class out of the building during an active shooter.

And if you keep your class safe in an active shooter situation, who gives a damn what the admin or others say about it afterwards.

Well, there is also a chance of getting you or your students hurt if you misjudged where the shooter was located or didn't know there was another shooter, it's not that simple.

[Anonymous]

Remember 9/11 when people were told to stay put in twin towers? Sometimes you need to move and run, jump, or climb.

[Anonymous]

We have taught our kids to follow the teacher if the teacher's plan makes sense. But to think for yourself and follow through. So, if you are going to run you better run as fast as you can and get hidden as quickly as possible. Out kids are in high school and they have identified 4 places away from school that they will try to get to. Basically, one in each direction. A grocery store, a public library and 2 friends houses. These houses both have ring cameras and electronic locks. The parents have told the kids that if any of them show up at the house they will be let in.

5 years ago our school had a lockdown where teachers had to hid the kids. Our then 5th grader spent 40 min hidden in a cabinet. This has made these discussions more common in our house. Our teens also do not turn their cell phones into the teachers. They know that the phones are to be off and put away during classes. But the number one reason our kids have cell phones is so they can contact us if needed in an emergency. The phones stay with them. No teacher has ever had an issue with this. They agree as long as the phones are away, they should stay with the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Remember 9/11 when people were told to stay put in twin towers? Sometimes you need to move and run, jump, or climb.

I agree 100% but our school protocol is not clear on anything, it's confusing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh my god. How about we “man up” in this country to the Second Amendment radicals and their enablers, and put some reasonable restrictions on who can buy weapons of mass murder and under what conditions. Some kook shouldn’t be able to assemble an arsenal at Walmart and wipe out a first grade class in one afternoon. Maybe if we started holding the enablers personally liable the message would get through - some things are more important than unfettered access to your toys.

OK. But in the meantime.....

[Anonymous]

I have given my child explicit clear permission to leave the school building at any time for their safety regardless of rules/policy/ an adult telling them not to.

[Anonymous]

yes, in ACPS elementary we practice going to a farish outdoor point with the kids.