Written By: Brad Campbell | October 28, 2024
School emergency lockdown plans are a vital part of keeping students and faculty safe during campus emergency situations.
Due to recent events and a steady rise in school violence over the last few years, many schools are taking a second look at their lockdown procedures to see how they can improve them.
Having a better understanding of how different types of school lockdown plans work and what their best practices are can help ensure the safety and security of students and staff during emergencies on or near school property.
In general, school emergency lockdown plans fall into one of three categories:
Shelter-in-place lockdowns are usually caused by a natural disaster or some type of hazard related to extreme weather or environmental threats.
For example, this type of school lockdown can occur if there is a high level of air pollution due to a nearby fire or if there is an unexpected storm warning.
The goal of a shelter-in-place lockdown is to keep students and faculty safe by keeping them indoors while the environmental event passes.
During the lockdown, students and their teachers typically make their way to pre-designated lockdown rooms where they have access to bathrooms, emergency supplies, and all other necessities.
An internal threat lockdown plan addresses potential active threats that are already inside a school.
An active shooter inside the building or a bomb threat about an explosive device in the school are examples of internal threats that can cause this type of lockdown.
The goal of an internal threat school lockdown plan is to keep students and staff safe until the threat is removed from campus.
Depending on the nature of the internal threat, the lockdown response can vary. For example, if there is an active shooter inside a school, teachers and students should lock down inside secure classrooms until the authorities arrive and neutralize the threat.
On the other hand, if there is a threat about a bomb in the building, the lockdown procedure should be to get everyone out of the building as fast as possible and move them to a safe location, then lock the building down until the authorities arrive and deal with the threat.
An external threat is a threat that’s somewhere outside a school, either on school grounds or nearby, that calls for a school lockdown.
Examples of external threats include a dangerous animal spotted nearby, an active shooter outside the school, a nearby police response to some type of incident, or civil unrest in the vicinity.
The goal of an external threat lockdown is to prevent the threat from entering the building. This type of lockdown is sometimes also referred to as a lockout.
Again, depending on the nature and severity of the external threat, this type of school lockdown plan may look a little different.
For example, if there’s an active shooter outside the school, students and teachers should run, hide, and barricade themselves somewhere secure inside until the police arrive and neutralize the threat.
If the external threat is a dangerous animal, such as a cougar, spotted nearby, access to the school will be restricted, but students and teachers may be free to move around inside the facility as needed until the animal is caught or moves on.
School emergency lockdown plans can also be categorized as either soft or hard lockdowns.
A soft lockdown happens when the threat is not immediate, and is typically due to an external threat. The example we used above of a dangerous wild animal nearby would call for a soft lockdown.
In a soft lockdown, students and teachers may move around inside the school, but people are not allowed to go in or out of buildings.
A hard lockdown happens when there is an immediate threat to the safety of students and staff, such as an active shooter or a weapon or drug paraphernalia found on campus.
In a hard lockdown, students and teachers usually lock down inside classrooms and wait until the threat is removed by the authorities. All doors should remain locked and it may be necessary to avoid doors and windows, especially in the case of an active threat.
Preparing a school emergency lockdown plan for every possible emergency scenario may seem like a daunting task, but there are some best practices you can follow to make lockdowns go more smoothly and keep students and staff safe and secure.
Creating comprehensive school emergency lockdown plans for all the possible threats that can arise is a critical part of keeping students and school personnel safe during emergency scenarios.
But planning only goes so far, which is why your school should also have the right physical security technology in place to protect the lives of students and faculty.
Riot Glass, LLC is an industry leader in school security glazing that keeps the bad guys out of school buildings and classrooms, as well as protects against mother nature.
Contact us today for a free consultation or to schedule a professional threat assessment to help with your school lockdown planning.
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