Teachers and other school employees also find themselves wondering what they would do and how they would react in the face of such violence. How school personnel react during, or even before, emergencies can often affect the outcome of such an event. The purpose of this article is not to identify hazards or to provide a model disaster plan. Such resources are readily available from a variety of sources. Instead, I hope to share a teacher s perspective as it relates to school preparedness.
Most people can probably remember the school fire drills they had as children.
When the bell or horn sounded, everyone stopped what they were doing and lined up to leave the building. Many students saw it as a chance to get out of class for a few minutes. As teachers, we often view such interruptions as just that, as something that takes away from our already-scarce teaching time. What we need to remember is that these fire drills are preparing our students in what to do if there is a need to leave the building in a crisis, be it a fire, a bomb threat, or other emergency. Successful preparation could result in lives saved.