Implementation and monitoring of school fire and shelter-in drills

School Safety Plans & Policies

Campus Safety Procedures

Activity Description and Summary

The design of safety measures at my school is fundamentally the responsibility of the district authorities, as schools are expected to respond uniformly to district policies and procedures. However, I did help to implement and monitor safety measures through my roles during the school safety drills. My primary responsibility in the campus safety initiative was to assist with in fire drills and shelter-in drills. Numerous studies provide support to the practice of school safety drills, citing benefits to students, their parents and families, and faculty (Brock, 2010; Borum, 2011; NASP, 2013b, 2013c).

Program Outcome Rationale

The overarching theme of the emergency drills is to ensure that administrators and staff are familiar with the protocols intended to guide administrators and staff in maintaining calm and order during an emergency. The key rationale for this objective is that have plans and protocols in place that are regularly practiced by administrators, staff and students will facilitate the appropriate and efficacious handling a crisis, disaster or emergency at the school level. Outcome indicators include evidence that, "continuous and sustainable crisis and emergency preparedness, response, and recovery planning and training that uses evidence-based models" are funded by the district.

District Policies

The process outcome for the fire drill and the shelter-in drill deals with emergency situations and procedures, fire drills, shelter-in drills, emergency egresses, and floor wardens. The district policies provide exact language about the policies and for the procedures to be undertaken in order to implement the policies.

Campus Implementation

All faculty members are given training in the safety plan and implementation of specific aspects of the plan. The most common manifestation of this occurs in the form of fire drills and shelter-in drills, which are conducted after faculty has reviewed the policies and procedures. Often, a specialist from the City or from the district will give a presentation on a component of the safety plan to underscore the importance of compliant implementation.

I was put in charge of a particular exit and directed to supervise as the students and teachers come out of my assigned exit and line up on the street during fire drills. Teachers complete green cards (attendance sheets) to show that they have accounted for all of their students during emergency drills and actual emergencies. I checked to be sure that all students had left through the exit, and I asked to see the green cards of all teachers responsible for students passing through that exit, and was assured that the teaches had accounted for all of their students. At the signal from the principal, I permitted the students and staff in my area to return to the inside of the building.

During shelter-in drills, I was given the responsibility of watching an exit on the first floor of the school building. I was instructed to not to allow anyone in or out during the shelter-in drills. The concept behind the shelter-in drills is that a threat exists outside the building. Teachers are expected to carry on much as usual, but no students are permitted to leave the classroom and the windows -- and any window coverings -- are to remain closed.

Reflection

The American College of Education Educational Leadership Disposition that seems most relevant to the safety practices in which I engaged is Diversity and Unity. The students in the District are quite aware of the influence of diversity on the significant events of the recent past and in current events. Yet, the City and the schools embrace diversity as a value-add characteristic of contemporary, urban society.

I believe that conversations about diversity across cultures and societies are crucial to the development of students -- and faculty -- as global citizens. It is important for students to have conversations about the attributes of heterogeneous and homogeneous societies with regard to safety and security, but also with regard to innovation and productivity. Each time the school holds an emergency drill, an opportunity is provided to talk with students about their perceptions, the development of bias and prejudice, and the practical resolve of the American people to ensure homeland security while engaging in global affairs and world-class, multinational commerce.

Personally, I welcome the opportunity to talk with students and parents about these issues, concerns, and concepts. Every iteration of honest conversation, triggered by the awareness of vulnerability that emergency drills bring to the forefront, causes me to be more thoughtful about the automaticity of my associations and the need to be mindful of my non-conscious synthesis of information. I strive to be a resource for students -- a kind of sounding board, if you will, for practicing the expansive thinking that mature adulthood requires of us all.