School practices for emergencies with lockdown drill

By Ben Hardman
9/28/2016

On September 28, Mountain View High School students were put to the test on their ability to participate in a calm and efficient hard lockdown drill.

Miss Talonia, assistant principal, said, “We wanted to find our weaknesses, where the holes are in our system, (so) we could make some improvements. We are required to do 4 drills a year—we have now done two— but we can go over the required amount whenever we feel necessary.”

Miss Talonia also said that the first lockdown drill students have now done was announced beforehand so that students wouldn’t get surprised and get the police department involved.

Miss Talonia also said that the school will have a few unannounced drills this year. In Miss Talonia’s words, “It was really effective.”

Mr Dewitt, assistant principal, said also that this drill was for the purpose of learning and to gain information. “It was very informational,” he said.

At the end of the drill, teachers showed students in their classrooms a video about school lockdowns that shed light on how effective the way Mountain View does lockdowns really is, and the flaws in the way schools sometimes handle lockdowns

Overall Mountain View’s lockdown drill was very effective, informational and taught the students what to do and where to go when one occurs.