Lockdown

My afternoon class and I were going about our typical busy day when they started to get a little wild- we had a kid switch from the morning class to the afternoon class and it has totally disrupted the calm environment we had going. We missed our usual bathroom time because I wouldn't take the class into the hallway until they were (at least) mostly clam, so I was sending kids one at a time instead. Just as one kid got back to the room, someone came on the loud speaker and said "This is a soft lockdown.  The emergency response team can stay with their students. Please close your doors and cover your windows." 

It was weird. During a usual soft lockdown, the doors need to be closed (not locked), people are not allowed into the hallways, and that's about it. Soft lockdowns typically happen when there is a medical emergency in the school. We have them so that paramedics (or who ever is responding) can get through the hallways easily and kids don't get freaked out. We don't cover the windows during a soft lockdown. 

Before I covered my window and closed my door, I peeked into the hallway to see if any administrators  were around- I wanted to know if I should lock my door. No one was around and the teacher next to me was, so I locked mine too- just to be safe. 

My kids were getting nervous. We have practiced and had real soft lockdowns before, and they are no big deal. We have practiced hard lockdowns before and they are kind of scary. The kids know what happens during a soft lockdown and a hard lockdown and this lockdown was kind of an in between one. They were asking a bunch of questions that I didn't know the answers to. I think I was acting calm, but felt a little nervous too. 

The kids were working at stations and wondered where they should go and what they should do. I had them continue to work at their stations but told them to do so quietly. They were so quiet. 

I was sitting at a table with my back partially to the door when all of a sudden, it opened. I think my heart stopped. In about a half of a second, a million thoughts flew through my head. I was ready to kill the person at the door, break a window and shove my entire class through it, tell everyone to freeze. . .  I think the person opening the door could sense this because she said, "It's just me!" as quickly as she could. 

She walked into my room, closed some blinds, and as she was leaving I said, " This is still a soft lockdown, right?" She responded, "Yes, it's still a soft lockdown." My kids were even more confused. I was still worried. 

Finally, we got an email saying a convict escaped from a nearby courthouse. Knowing this made me feel so much better. I was almost 100% sure someone on the run would not come to a school- it's just not the best place to hide. The guy also had his hand cuffed to a belly chain- so he could run but couldn't use his arms/hands very well. 

They called the lockdown off 30 minutes before school was over. They didn't catch the guy at that point, but they must have felt it was safe enough. A police officer stayed outside the school until all the kids were picked up. I never told my kids why we had the lockdown. I figured their parents could let them know if they thought it was appropriate. 

I made sure to give every single one of my kids a hug before they left.