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Lockdown drills keep children, schools safe

  • Published
  • By Leigh Shirah
  • Staff Writer
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  School safety, 10 years ago, meant bullies and scraping a knee on the play ground. Now, it includes not getting shot or kidnapped.

Times have changed and so have the safety drills for schools. At least once a year, Cherokee and Oak Hill elementary schools have a lockdown drill.

This drill prepares students and teachers for the occurrence of a dangerous person on or near the school campus.

In the event of an actual lockdown, the students are taught to listen to their teachers. The teachers are instructed to cover all windows and turn off lights so no one can see inside the classroom. The students move away from any windows and all doors are locked. The children are instructed to be very quiet, so that they can not be heard by anyone outside of the classroom.

Unfortunately, even young children understand the possibility of school violence. In a second grade class, Dr. Karyn M. Combs, principal of Cherokee Elementary School, asked what lockdown meant. One little girl replied "when somebody is trying to steal one of us or hurt us."

In recent years, Oak Hill Elementary School has been in lockdown once and Cherokee has been locked down twice.

Dr. Combs said each school has a crisis plan that works in collaboration with Eglin and the Okaloosa County School District.

Both schools were locked down when a dangerous person was located on base and security forces notified the schools. The students were not in any immediate danger at the time, but as a precaution, the lockdowns were issued.

"It is easy to get complacent when you are on a base and you feel like it is very safe already. I think that is true, it is safe but we can't be complacent about children and safety," said Dr. Connie Hall, principal of Oak Hill Elementary school.

Cherokee Elementary School was placed in lockdown on another occasion when a woman was seen acting erratically and wandering around the campus. As a safeguard, Dr. Combs ordered a lockdown. Later it was revealed that the woman, who had been jogging, was dehydrated and was not a threat to the students.

Those are just examples of reasons why Eglin schools would be locked down, but it is important for parents to help keep the schools safe as well. Most schools have a sign-in policy for anyone who enters a school. Oak Hill and Cherokee are no exception. Anyone entering a school is required to sign in at the front office, identify themselves, where they are going and wear a visitor's pass while in the school. Visitors are also asked to sign out when leaving.

"We have problems with parents just trying to come into the school," said Deputy Eddie Perillo, Resource Officer for Lewis Middle School, Oak Hill and Cherokee elementary schools. "They know, in their minds, that they are a safe person. But we cannot allow people to just come into the school without checking into the office and getting a visitor's pass. Some people get offended, but they have to realize that we are doing it for the safety of all the children."