Emergency lock down drill, younger kids

[Anonymous]

They didn't really explain what the drills were for in K. I gave my son vague answers. This year in first grade, he asked more questions, so I gave him more specifics. He was worried/stressed about the drills in K.

I love the T. Rex idea. Hilarious yet helpful!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC's 1st grade teacher explained that they were practicing hiding in case a bear got in the school. As they appear regularly in the neighborhoods here, that made sense to her.

Are you in Colorado? We are and our kids' school was on lock down last week because a mountain lion was spotted outside.

[Anonymous]

I'm hoping they practice a lot this year at Franklin Sherman, as a gun store just opened next door to the school. Stay Classy, McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's nothing new. When I was a kid, it was because the Russians were going to nuke us. It's a simple drill, kids get it...

It's interesting because I keep having the same conversation with friends about how we were all terrified of dying in a nuclear strike. I don't think drills like this would have saved the kids at Sandy Hook. Any tiny benefit gained by this training isn't worth the trauma.

Actually, drills did save quite a few children in Sandy Hook. The teachers closed their doors and pulled down the shades and made it look like the classroom was empty in many classrooms.

Did those drills involve children. I've done active shooter trainings. I think they are appropriate for educators (although the big takeaway in mine was "you need to know that no one is coming in to save you until the shooting stops"), but not for kindergarteners.

You absolutely need to do it with children. They need to practice so that the procedure is familiar - that is your best chance at them following instructions & staying calm should - God forbid - they need to actually do this for real. If you never practice with the children, you run the risk of a child panicking when the time comes. 5 year olds should be aware of the whole "don't talk to strangers" kind of thing - we don't avoid having those conversations with them - this is not completely dissimilar.

[Anonymous]

my 6-year-old has had these drills at her school since kindergarten. Doesn't seem to bother her at all. I'm not sure what they are telling them, though. Her dad is former military special forces and I'm not one to sugar-coat things either, so she's growing up with less "cushioning" than some kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: I'm fine with the drills- sadly they may be necessary- I just think the explanation needs to be more age appropriate especially for kids in week 3 of formal school. Agree with PP who suggested saying something like, ""We are practicing what to do in case there's an emergency."

But that's not what happens for all emergencies. We practice fire drills and, for lack of a better word, active shooter drills. Both are emergencies but the practices are very different. I'm fine with the term "bad guys" or something similar. I do prefer uniform language since we all have to deal with this in a variety of settings. At my workplace, we call it active shooter.

[Anonymous]

My K DD said they had to go somewhere until the "bad guy" was gone.

[Anonymous]

I just had my students sit in one part of the room and turned out the lights. We read books. Just said the principal wanted us to practice going to that spot quietly like a fire drill. I also warned them the principal has us lock the door and they go around and check (by turning the door knob).

[Anonymous]

My children have never been scared of the lock down drills and come home telling me all about then. I remember sleepless nights crying as a child because I was scared we would die in nuclear war. Forgot about that until reading these posts. All kids are different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My children have never been scared of the lock down drills and come home telling me all about then. I remember sleepless nights crying as a child because I was scared we would die in nuclear war. Forgot about that until reading these posts. All kids are different.

I was so scared of that too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:America.

America, not the beautiful.

[Anonymous]

My K explained to me that the drill was to protect them in case people that are "not friends" come to the school. That was the explanation they were given at K.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand how this kind of response will help much in the future. Won't the gunman know that even if the room is dark and the door is locked, people are likely in there and he would shoot open the door if he wanted to go after lots of school kids and teachers? If he went in the school looking to shoot kids or teachers, and now every classroom has lights out, door locked, quiet inside, he's just going to start breaking through the windows and locks on the classroom doors, no? It's not like it is very tricky if everyone in all classrooms across America is now doing that?

[Anonymous]

I went to school in Italy - American base. Our drills were terrifying! Loud noises, duck down. We had them a lot- just not drills.

[Anonymous]

Read the official Sandy Hook report. Lockdown and shelter in place made it easier for him to murder many quickly. Even the Dept of Ed now says we should be teaching them to run. Not sure why Virginia is so far behind the times.