Talk to me about lockdown drills and what they look like

[Anonymous]

Kindergarten in an Mcps school. Lock down is supposed to happen in the next couple of weeks. What should I know to prepare the kindergartener for this?

[Anonymous]

My kindergartener on Friday said that they closed the door, turned off the lights, and sat under their backpacks for a few minutes without talking.

[Anonymous]

Teacher locks the door and covers any windows. Students move away from doors and windows and are silent until drill ends. Usually admin comes and checks to make sure our door is locked. It only takes a few minutes.

[Anonymous]

K teacher--we did ours last week. We practiced before the actual drill ahead of time that day. I told the students where to go and we tried to see who could do their job first. They had to go to the cubbies and hide and I had to lock the door and turn off the lights. Then when the real drill came they all jumped up and booked it to the cubbie area. Once I joined them, they were silent but I whispered to them so it wouldn't be scary. I always try to stress that we're practicing and there's actually not anything bad happening.

[Anonymous]

My son would always ask “What are we practicing for?” Not all kids can be placated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kindergartener on Friday said that they closed the door, turned off the lights, and sat under their backpacks for a few minutes without talking.

How do you sit under a backpack?

[Anonymous]

When my kid showed me hers it made me cry. She told me about the lights and locking the door but then showed me how she had to get on the ground all scrunched up. She was so matter of fact about it.

[Anonymous]

We aren’t in mcps but my DS is also in K. Similar to PPs above, when I asked him about it he said the principal said over the intercom “lockdown, lockdown, bad guy in the office” he didn’t seem bothered at all…

I’m of course glad they are prepared but I hate that we live in a country where this is a thing we have to prepare for.

[Anonymous]

My child is in 3rd grade at a Title I ES in MCPS. PE teachers has the class practice lockdown procedures anytime they are too loud or not following classroom rules. He did it often last year, even after I contacted him to confirm my child was telling me a true story. This year, he started doing it on the first day of school! My kid will come home and say “we were misbehaving in PE and had to do a lockdown”. It’s infuriating!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kindergartener on Friday said that they closed the door, turned off the lights, and sat under their backpacks for a few minutes without talking.

How do you sit under a backpack?

I don't know! That's just what she told me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is in 3rd grade at a Title I ES in MCPS. PE teachers has the class practice lockdown procedures anytime they are too loud or not following classroom rules. He did it often last year, even after I contacted him to confirm my child was telling me a true story. This year, he started doing it on the first day of school! My kid will come home and say “we were misbehaving in PE and had to do a lockdown”. It’s infuriating!

This is one to meet with the principal about. Unacceptable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kindergartener on Friday said that they closed the door, turned off the lights, and sat under their backpacks for a few minutes without talking.

How do you sit under a backpack?

I don't know! That's just what she told me.

They hang up the backpacks on hooks, so it would be under where they are hanging, usually in a nook/cubby area.