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Originally posted by Oat_Action_Man:

I'm not being a dick, but clearly none of you work in a school. That's how lockdown drills are done.

You don't tell the kids. It's not a drill if you tell them. Trust me, the reactions are radically different if you tell them "drill at 10:00" vs. not telling them.

They are told a set of procedures, and you drill them to see how they react, if they follow the procedures and how you can improve. It's the same as a fire drill, just different procedures.

1) They aren't supposed to use phones. I can almost guarantee that's part of what they're told. The reason your kid said she couldn't talk and then didn't answer he phone is because someone probably saw her using it and told her to stop.

2) They shouldn't be going to the windows. Also directly the opposite of what they're told.

3) The police DO show up. They're part of the drill. I'm not sure how many show up in your area, but when we do a drill, we get 2 or 3. Those police come around and check that the procedures are being followed, including checking for locked doors, seeing if they can get kids to let them in without the right code phrase, etc.

4) It usually takes us at least 15 minutes to get the all clear.

Who knows, maybe something happened and there's a coverup, but, as someone who does this several times a year, you're overreacting.

Sounds largely like SOP.

Now if the kids have no idea what the procedures for lockdown are, then there's a bigger problem, but otherwise you're just talking about what is now the new normal in many if not most schools these days.

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I'm not sure if I should address this with the principal, the school board, or the Sheriffs Department.

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Run a lock-down drill (call for lock-down, shelter in place) then when everyone is in place, announce the drill and state there is no danger, then announce that police would be securing the halls and performing a drug sweep.

It takes all of 5 minutes to get from the drill to the "no danger" call, and explains why the officers are roaming the halls. No kids lashed out, no over dramatic panic.

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Originally posted by Joe123:
Well when I went to school there was no cell phone. Parents would have heard about it at the end of the day, no big deal.

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Now kids break the rules- no cell phone use to call mom and dad. They don't know how to handle it on there own, help is just a phone call away.

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Originally posted by Lord Vaalic:
Until some panicked kid decides fuck this, I ain't sitting here waiting to get shot, and smashes a window or takes some action because they have no damn clue what's happening.

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Originally posted by kidcop:
As for communicating with parents, dispatchers and clerical types can't tell whether the person on the line is legit or not. At least from the LE side, they aren't about to tell an unknown person where our assets are or what they are doing.