In Case of an Emergency
I thought I would continue my line of thinking from my last blog for two reasons. First, I was alarmed by the reply Tech Teach Booth wrote about. Her school had a drill and to make a long story short, it sounded like it caused hysteria and chaos. I teach in a very small school and really can’t imagine what a mess it probably was with a much bigger school. It is such a shame that the teachers and faculty were not more prepared and alerted to the drill process. I can’t imagine how the parents felt sitting in the parking lot wondering what was going on.
Secondly, I also recently read a letter sent out to all parents from my school. It was describing an alert system that they were going to be implementing starting this school year. The system is called Instant-Alert by Honeywell. This is a web-based emergency notification system that can send out any kind of message and reach a targeted audience in one fell swoop. I can’t help but think had Ms. Booth’s school had a system like this in place the chaos could have been completely avoided during her school drill.
Living in North Dakota the weather can play a tricky role in getting to school some days. Just last year we had so many late starts and full day cancellations due to snow and weather related conditions. I remember the the flood, spring of 2009, that took place in the Red River Valley. There are so many uncontrollable events that take place that can impact people getting to school or work. It is during those times that I feel so sorry for the administration. They have to spend so much extra time on the phone calling parents and teachers letting them know what the plan for the day is. Our present option to find out what is going on in the event of a snow storm or weather related delay is to wake up early and listen to the radio in hopes of hearing the schools name. Just think how simple a process this could be if a system like Instant-Alert was in place. A parent can get an automated phone call on any number of desired phone numbers, e-mail and text messages instantly. This just seems like a more reliable immediate way of handling things. Just think if Tech Teacher Booth’s school had this. It would have completely eliminated any sort of confusion that obviously took place during their unintentional chaotic drill.
I was also quite impressed at the cost for a system like this. As you can see from the comparisons made in this article, the price per student is quite minimal. I know our school is picking up the tab for each student enrolled in the system. Quite a small price to pay for peace of mind!
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This is completely true...Like you, I can't comprehend a school waiting in the parking lot not knowing what is going on!! I know Fargo schools (near where I live) have an automated alert system in place to keep all parents and students informed of cancellations.
ReplyDeleteI, too, teach at a very small school and everything is well rehearsed and practiced several times yearly. Students know just what to do if a situation arises. We don't have an alert system, but with such a small school, information is immediately announced by radio or local news.
How can a bigger school not have a well organized plan of action? As a parent, I would definitely complain and as a teacher, I would want something done right away.
Denise
I remember in high school we had an unknown, unannounced fire drill. The fire department planted a smoke bomb in an empty room in the school. The firefighters then monitored the situation from a hidden location. Students noticed the smoke and some opened the door to the room. Finally the fire alarm was pulled. Teachers directed students out the usual exits. After it was all done, the administration and fire department had everyone come into the gym to tell us what went wrong. If you were a student who opened the door you had to stand up, if you where a student who did not evacuate you had to stand up, and if you were a student who walked past the smoking room you had to stand up. They then told us to look around because everyone standing would be dead. It was a real eye opener. Apparently you should never walk by a room on fire because it could explode. I think the teachers and the students learned from that experience.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting blog, I missed yours last week but went back and read it and it really makes me think if I'm prepared for these special situations. I work in a small school in a small ND town but you never know what can happen. I do think my school has taken huge precautions incase we find ourselves in these situations. We all have emergency buckets that we use during all of our drills. We also practice all types of drills throughout the year. I do have a classroom with a entire wall of windows so I'm not sure how easily we would be able to hide. We also keep all doors of our school locked except the main door by the office and we have dicussed possibly locking that door as well and placing a door bell outside.
ReplyDeleteIn reaction to your blog this week our district will be using a new alert system this year. I'm not sure if is the exact one you mentioned but it will do the same task. I think this will be great! It eliminates numerous phonecalls to the school in emergency situations. Two examples stick in my mind where this system would have helped. Last year we dismissed school two hours earlier and since I teach first grade I was worried that some of their parents would not hear but with this system I can assume they have chosen a reliable way to be notified. Another situation was when the SWAT team was in our tiny town practicing a bomb drill. We had numerous parents who saw this and called the school in panic. If this were to happen again we could send out a quick message telling parents not to worry. I just think this system will elimate so many rumors and what ifs.
First let me say I felt like I was having a heart attack during that drill. I have never been more scared for my students. I think an alert system is a great idea, especially in the situation that happened at my school. After the drill we dealt with parents who received text messages from their students, had they only known it was drill we could have avoid everything.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to say since the drill out safety team has been revising the procedures and we now have a color system to let us know what to do and what is happening in the building. The principal now calls a Code _____ (fill in the color) and the teachers automatically know what procedure to follow. Thank God it was only a drill.