What YOU can do in a lockdown

Parents and guardians are essential partners in our efforts to keep students safe during and after a lockdown. Getting the news that your child’s school has gone into lockdown can be a scary or stressful experience for any family.
Here are things that you can do to help keep your child safe during a lockdown:

• Stay away from the school or emergency site. Emergency responders and school district employees will need to focus on the needs of students and staff. Phone calls and office arrivals can make this very difficult.

• Remain calm and wait for information from the school or district. We will text, e-mail, and/or call you as soon and often as we have information to share.

• Avoid calling the school or district office for more information. We will share information and updates with families as quickly as we are able. Calling us with questions can often make this take longer.

• Trust us to keep your child safe, just like you do on a regular day. This can be really hard if you have strong emotions or feeling a sense of panic. Consider how picking up your child during a crisis might send a message to children that school is not a safe place, and this can interfere with learning on other, regular days. It is especially important to keep yourself safe by staying away from the emergency scene.

• Remember that our teachers and staff members are trained to respond to emergencies in a way that protects the wellbeing of every student in their care. Our most important goal, every day, is to keep your student safe. This is especially true during an emergency.

Talk to your student after a lockdown or emergency drill

When you talk to your child after an emergency, your questions, comments and tone will make a big difference. Consider the following steps to help your child process:

• Ask your child what they know about the emergency. You may find that they know very little and are not trying to find out more. That’s okay! If you still feel like talking more, consider chatting privately with your spouse, adult family member or close friend.

• Ask what your child’s teacher did to keep everyone safe. Maybe it’s locking doors, turning off lights, being quiet. Most importantly it focuses the conversation on the actions that adults took to keep them safe.

• Talk about the “helpers” who kept everyone safe. These may be the teachers and staff, emergency responders or others. Talk about how brave these people are in their work to keep others safe.

• Ask how your child felt during the emergency, and explain that it’s okay to feel that way (scared, nervous, anxious, etc.). Ask how he or she is feeling now, and acknowledge that it’s okay to feel that way, too.

• Watch for any lingering signs of stress over the following days and weeks. Anxiety about school, lack of appetite, difficulty sleeping, or any behavior that is out of the ordinary – these may mean that your child still needs help healing from the stress of the crisis. We can help.

• After a school emergency, keep in mind that your child may or may not know a lot about what happened during the lockdown. Follow your child’s lead about the information he or she knows or wants. Please contact the school if your child would benefit from the support of our counseling team as they process their feelings or fears.