FCPS lockdown

[Anonymous]

FCPS,

Please send immediate updates when there’s a lockdown. In today’s crazy world, it seems only right to inform parents immediately. As soon as you place a school in lockdown, you should have an automatic email/text/alert. This is a lesson learned. Please don’t make this mistake if ever again.

[Anonymous]

You remind me of my stupid relative who, on Facebook, posts cryptic vague rants about shit she thinks (or doesn't care if) everybody knows about already. Very annoying!

[Anonymous]

So what happened OP?

[Anonymous]

If your child's school goes on lockdown you will find out soon enough. Sending out an immediate alert to parents does nothing to help resolve the situation. Are you planning on showing up and confronting the situation yourself or something?

[Anonymous]

Oh. Sorry. South Lakes, Hughes, and Terraset were on lockdown today as the police investigated a report of a person on school grounds with a gun. FCPS did not send updates timely (maybe after 1 hour). Kids were texting parents, parents were calling schools (no answer), it was chaotic. FCPS needs an immediate alert policy, IMO.

[Anonymous]

With today’s mass shootings, I want/have the right to know if my kid is possibly in danger. FCPS updates should be immediate. Lesson learned, I hope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh. Sorry. South Lakes, Hughes, and Terraset were on lockdown today as the police investigated a report of a person on school grounds with a gun. FCPS did not send updates timely (maybe after 1 hour). Kids were texting parents, parents were calling schools (no answer), it was chaotic. FCPS needs an immediate alert policy, IMO.

You're upset that during a time when staff and kids are instructed to be silent and hidden, someone wasn't standing at the desk answering phones?

In a lockdown 100% of the adult attention needs to be on safety.

[Anonymous]

Nope. Annoyed that no alert was sent in a timely fashion. Reread my post if you aren’t clear.

[Anonymous]

Gatehouse sends alerts. Not the school. Obviously Gatehouse knew it was on lockdown at certain schools. As I said- a lesson learned, hopefully.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope. Annoyed that no alert was sent in a timely fashion. Reread my post if you aren’t clear.

What would the alert say? Are you expecting school staff to update the details of what's going on, because taking attention away from safety to do that would be a horrible choice. Are you expecting the school system, who presumably doesn't know what's going on either to send an alert that says "We don't know what's going on?" Are you expecting them to hire a clairvoyant?

What would you do with the information?

[Anonymous]

Well, what is the fcps SOP?
Is there one?

[Anonymous]

You are really dumb. Alert: Schools Xyz and abc are under lockdown. Updates to follow.

Not hard. Basic. Parents have the right to know.

[Anonymous]

Can you read? Gatehouse sends alerts! Schools don’t! I would THINK alerting parents to their kids in danger (implied by a lockdown) would be BASIC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, what is the fcps SOP?
Is there one?

No idea! It needs to be updated to include immediate alert, IMO. Total BS to have kids and parents in chaos. Either ARM our schools with 3-5 police or send real-time alerts. School shootings are real. Parents have right to know. Not hard-easy to do.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think doing this in the moment makes any sense. Some parents would panic and try to come pick up their kids possibly endangering others to do so. Parents calling and pressing the doorbell in a lockdown would take staffs focus off keeping kids safe. No one should be coming in/out in a lockdown besides police/school security.