Haven and Hope

Violent Intruder Drills have become a necessary evil for schools across the United States, including those in Illinois. To ensure schools are prepared for these terrifying and tragic incidents, state boards of education have mandated that schools complete annual Violent Intruder Drills to practice their planned responses in case the unimaginable occurs.

While it is exceedingly rare for any specific school to be the victim of an armed attack, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) mandates that all students participate in a Violent Intruder Drill within the first three months of each school year.

Within this mandate, a great deal of flexibility exists on how schools train their communities to respond to this grave threat and how administrators manage the drill itself. Many of us have seen news stories about schools that have mismanaged these drills in ways that unintentionally or intentionally scare and traumatize those involved in the drill. Schools have hired actors or staff members to play an active shooter during the drill. This shooter often holds a fake gun, yells threats, and bangs on classroom doors. Schools have also held surprise drills, which no one knew were coming, including staff members and parents. These approaches, of course, have resulted in frightened and angry students and parents, and they have proven to be ineffective ways to prepare communities for an emergency incident.   

At the O-School, we recognize that many of our students already have their fair share of anxieties and worries, – and some of our students come to us with a trauma history. For this reason, while ensuring compliance with ISBE requirements, the O-School prioritizes a deeply trauma-informed Violent Intruder Drill process. We want all staff members, students, and families informed and prepared for the drill – weeks in advance – so there are no surprises. 

To ensure our Violent Intruder Drills are trauma-informed and do not cause any additional upset (on top of that caused by the nature of the drill itself), we implement a series of preparations, starting long before the day of the drill. First, each summer, we train our staff members on “Run, Hide, Fight,” our response to a Violent Intruder incident (https://www.ready.gov/public-spaces), to ensure all staff members are ready to take students through the drill in the fall.

Once the school year begins, we start communicating about the drill a month in advance to students (at our weekly Community Meeting) and parents (via email and through our Weekly Update). Therapists/Case Managers work with families to identify those students who could struggle during the drill, even with additional supports in place.

As we work with students to prepare for the drill, we remind them that the drill will happen as it has been described. There will be no surprises or scare tactics. Students new to the O-School, who experienced Violent Intruder Drills at other schools, often express skepticism. We work with these students to reassure them. Other students, who experienced the drill the previous year also help to reassure these skeptical students.

When we speak with students weeks before the drill, we explain every part of the drill in detail.  We tell them that the drill will take place within Base Classes (homerooms). We let them know the exact words we will use (over the walkie-talkies) to start and end the drill. We tell them that they will “lockdown” in the preidentified location (for each class) and teach them some of the key components of the lockdown room. 

Students are aware that a member of the school’s Emergency Planning Committee and a member of the Clinical Team (therapists) will be in each Base Class to manage the drill and provide emotional support as needed. School faculty members have pre-planned that students will stay in the lockdown space with their teachers for three minutes, and then they will be told that the drill has ended and they can come out. There will be no talking, but the lights will remain on.

There also will be no loud noises or sounds. All students are prepared in advance that there will be a police officer or numerous officials in the building to observe the drill, which is mandated by ISBE code. However, these people will not play a role in the drill, and students will likely not interact with them. 

Extra support from a therapist can be available for any student who may require such intervention. Therapists will be available before and after the drill for all students, and in case anyone needs to talk through this event.

In some ways, when the day of the Violent Intruder Drill arrives, it feels like we are overprepared. Parents have received a final reminder email to keep them fully in the loop.  School faculty flood the school hallway in case any student pops out or needs extra care or support before, during, or after the drill. When the moment arrives, the entire school is focused on running an effective drill, which increases our ability to keep our community safe and lets us know that to do so, we do not have to compromise our therapeutic integrity.

After all, there is no reason to scare anyone in an emergency drill, especially one as inherently upsetting as a Violent Intruder Drill. We don’t light a fire during a fire drill or simulate dangerous winds when we shelter in place for a Tornado Drill. These types of tactics don’t make us more prepared. Instead, they erode community trust, which, in the end, is what we need most in this often too scary and unpredictable world. 

 

Director of Compliance and Special Projects for the O-School Ellie Badesch, MUPP, authored this blog. Please visit our website to learn more about the O-School’s day programs. If you have a child or loved one who you believe would benefit from the O-School’s services, please visit our inquiry page or call the O-School Director of Admissions, Kristin Friesen, at 773-420-2891.