LOS ALAMITOS, CA — Yesterday, Tuesday, Sept. 26, Los Alamitos High School participated in a lockdown drill. For two to three minutes at the start of fourth period, doors were locked, blinds were shut, and unfortunate students who didn’t make it inside in time waited in the halls.
There was no modified schedule for this particular drill, as it took the place of the announcements that usually take up those 11 minutes at the start of class. Teachers instructed students on the proper course of action in the event of a real shooting: Take cover, silence all sources of noise, shut off lights, cover windows, and limit movement.
Later, students answered discussion questions provided by teachers about whether they had experienced a real lockdown before and some of the problems in communication that might arise in that situation. They also discussed the method of “RUN, HIDE, FIGHT” and how to barricade classroom doors.
“It’s extremely unlikely that we’re going to have to deal with a situation like [a true active shooter]. But we have to practice it just in case. In the event that something does happen, we want to be as prepared as possible,” said Mr. Bowen, Assistant Principal of Student Services and Attendance.
Lockdown drills such as yesterday’s are in place for students’ safety. They are meant to prepare students for how to respond in an emergency. According to the Everytown Organization, as of 2016, 95% of public schools in America drill their states on lockdown procedures.
Additionally, Everytown reports that 42 of 50 states in the U.S. require schools to host at least one active shooter drill per school year. California’s education code requires school districts to hold at least one drill per semester.
Yesterday’s lockdown drill happened to occur in the wake of a recent situation regarding student safety at Los Al. A threat that was later deemed to be non-credible was discovered in one of the girl’s bathrooms on campus. The threat referenced the date of last Friday, Sept. 22.
This resulted in a significant drop in attendance on Friday, despite the increased security. Although the threat was deemed illegitimate, Los Al took numerous extra precautions to reduce concerns and assure families of student safety.
Mr. Bowen shared that this active shooter drill had been scheduled since the summer, but, unfortunately, had to be postponed several times due to scheduling conflicts with events like GWAM (Griffins With A Mission).
“I did think about Sept. 22. The reason I didn’t postpone [the drill] even further out, and I decided to hold it today, was I wanted to hold the active violent intruder lockdown drill while it was still fresh in everybody’s minds,” Mr. Bowen said.
Many of these state and nationwide lockdown programs began after the school shooting in 1999 at Columbine High School, in which 13 people perished.
“Everything started with Columbine, which was [about] 25 years ago. That got the ball running for government agencies, state agencies, and school districts to talk about that and come up with a way to better address it,” Mr. Bowen said.
As school shootings are on the rise around the nation, lockdown drills like these have become even more important for the safety of students everywhere.
