School security and trailers

[Anonymous]

It seems like these days most public schools have implemented various levels of security and now have shelter-in-place drills for their staff and students. What about kids in the trailers or re-locatables. If you worry about things like school safety, do you feel less secure with your child in one of the trailers instead of the main school building? Does anyone know how secure they are in the event of a potentially violent scenario?

Please, if you don't think about such things, don't comment and ridicule those of us that do. Reasonable or not, these thoughts are on my mind as we prep my child for kindergarten next year. Our neighborhood school will be underconstruction and there's a great likelihood that my child will be in a trailer. It's another of those great unknowns to me right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like these days most public schools have implemented various levels of security and now have shelter-in-place drills for their staff and students. What about kids in the trailers or re-locatables. If you worry about things like school safety, do you feel less secure with your child in one of the trailers instead of the main school building? Does anyone know how secure they are in the event of a potentially violent scenario?

Please, if you don't think about such things, don't comment and ridicule those of us that do. Reasonable or not, these thoughts are on my mind as we prep my child for kindergarten next year. Our neighborhood school will be underconstruction and there's a great likelihood that my child will be in a trailer. It's another of those great unknowns to me right now.

No.

Sending a child off to kindergarten can make a parent anxious. I understand that, because I remember how anxious I was. But if "what if my child is in a portable when somebody comes and shoots up the school?" is high on your list of anxieties about kindergarten, then there is something wrong -- and I say this as somebody who thinks that the country's inaction after Sandy Hook is completely inexcusable and shameful.

[Anonymous]

Well, I don't know that there are more concerns about kids in trailers. But I see a possibility for it to be easier for adults to come in the way kids come into school when they go to the bathroom. They have special rules for kids in trailers and they go in pairs with the teacher's key card to go to the restroom. So it is a possibility that kids in trailers are safer since maybe shooters would be more interested in coming into the school vs trailers.

[Anonymous]

From what I've seen, trailers are usually located toward the back or side of the school building. I guess it's possible that someone up to no good would head back that way rather than try to go in the front door or through an unattended door to the main building (or doing something like what Adam Lanza did, and shooting out a window to gain entrance), but they'd risk being spotted on an outside security camera or by someone indoors before reaching a trailer, so it seems pretty unlikely.

[Anonymous]

OP,

My kid is in a trailer along with about 5-6 other trailers. You are right that it is less secure -- at least in his school it is. I could walk up off the street any day and just knock on the door. Now -- it's possible they keep the doors of the trailers locked all day. I don't know. But, I definitely have much greater access to the trailer door than I do for a regular classroom door (would have to get buzzed into the school, then check in with the front office, leave ID, etc.).

We are still supposed to go to the front office even when we are visiting the trailer classroom, but if a person wanted to get to the trailer classroom without going to the front office, they easily could.

That said, I don't worry much about random crazy people coming to my kid's trailer and doing something bad. I just don't give those ideas time in my brain. The likelihood is miniscule.

[Anonymous]

A bum broke into a trailer at my sons HS school last year. Thank goodness it turned out well. Shit happens.

[Anonymous]

Our school's trailers are always locked. Requires a staff key card to enter. A parent or other visitor will not be admitted directly to a trailer. You have to check in at office and then be escorted or met by staff member (this is a long term procedure- just went through this to attend kid class holiday party).

If a student is sick, for instance and had to go home mid day, then parent waits in clinic for child to arrive there.

[Anonymous]

I learned a lot about random shooter events at a training my workplace held earlier this year. Here's why trailers wouldn't worry me.

--most people are going for a specific person and once they find them they are done. So if a shooter wants my child's teacher, it doesn't matter if they are in a trailer or in the main school building.

--the rest are using their video game skills to go for high body count before the police arrive. Going outside to go from trailer to trailer is not efficient, AND it exposes them to emergency responders in a way that staying inside a building doesn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I learned a lot about random shooter events at a training my workplace held earlier this year. Here's why trailers wouldn't worry me.

--most people are going for a specific person and once they find them they are done. So if a shooter wants my child's teacher, it doesn't matter if they are in a trailer or in the main school building.

--the rest are using their video game skills to go for high body count before the police arrive. Going outside to go from trailer to trailer is not efficient, AND it exposes them to emergency responders in a way that staying inside a building doesn't.

dark -- but practical.

[Anonymous]

My experience with trailers due to renovation is that if any classes are put out there, it is the older kids NOT kindergarteners, so this is not something you should lose sleep over.

My K daughter moved classrooms twice due to renovations, but always inside the building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like these days most public schools have implemented various levels of security and now have shelter-in-place drills for their staff and students. What about kids in the trailers or re-locatables. If you worry about things like school safety, do you feel less secure with your child in one of the trailers instead of the main school building? Does anyone know how secure they are in the event of a potentially violent scenario?

Please, if you don't think about such things, don't comment and ridicule those of us that do. Reasonable or not, these thoughts are on my mind as we prep my child for kindergarten next year. Our neighborhood school will be underconstruction and there's a great likelihood that my child will be in a trailer. It's another of those great unknowns to me right now.

But you deserve to be ridiculed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I learned a lot about random shooter events at a training my workplace held earlier this year. Here's why trailers wouldn't worry me.

--most people are going for a specific person and once they find them they are done. So if a shooter wants my child's teacher, it doesn't matter if they are in a trailer or in the main school building.

--the rest are using their video game skills to go for high body count before the police arrive. Going outside to go from trailer to trailer is not efficient, AND it exposes them to emergency responders in a way that staying inside a building doesn't.

dark -- but practical.

Pp here. Yes to both. It was fantastic training. You can get a flavor by watching the YouTube video that comes up when you search for "run hide fight."

[Anonymous]

They never put kinder in a trailer b/c kinders need bathroom access and can't be trusted to take a buddy to the bathroom from the trailer and not get lost.

My 3rd grader is in a trailer and I was surprised that they put them there b/c it is the first year in this school for 95% of them (AAP kids). But, they manage. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting. Since we don't really have a choice about it, we make do and focus on things we can control.

[Anonymous]

I second the recommendation for Run Hide Fight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My experience with trailers due to renovation is that if any classes are put out there, it is the older kids NOT kindergarteners, so this is not something you should lose sleep over.

My K daughter moved classrooms twice due to renovations, but always inside the building.

Nope. They won't put testing grades in a trailor. We moved from a DCPS because they had 1st in a trailor.