[CCHS] safety drill

[Art Dulong]

Good morning, 

	Everyone is aware that during the past few years the United States has
become a nation that is constantly concerned with safety and preparedness.
A requirement of the federal and state government security program is that
all schools prepare for every eventuality. In Concord the fire chief and
the police chief have requested that all schools practice at least one
lock down drill during this school year. A lock down drill is a safety
exercise to prepare for the possibility of a threat within the building
itself. We will be practicing one at CCHS sometime, as determined by the
police department, within the next few weeks.

	A lock down drill is different from a fire drill. It begins with an
announcement over the PA system, not an alarm. The announcement will state
“This is a lock down”. At that time all students within a classroom will
remain in the classroom and follow the directions of the teacher. These
directions will essentially be an effort to remove students from the sight
lines of interior windows. Students in corridors or lavatories will move
into a nearby classroom at the request of the teacher. Students in other
areas of the building that are more wide open such as the caf or the
library will follow the directions of the faculty in charge of that area.
Once the lock down drill begins students must remain completely silent. No
cell phones or other communication devices will be used.

	At the moment we begin the drill the police are notified. They will come
as quickly as possible. They will patrol or inspect every corridor and
room of the building to ensure safety, security and our compliance with
all their state, federal, and local regulations. We will be in lock down
mode until the police declare the drill to be complete. That is likely to
mean 20 minutes or so for the drill. If it were an actual lock down with
an actual threat the time frame would be indeterminate, but the rules for
the drill would be the same.  

	The drill itself, as it has unfolded in the past, is much calmer and
quieter then a fire drill, but lasts a little longer. The drill does not
include any dramatic enactment. We are simply trying to train teachers and
students how to react and where to be if there were a situation that
required everyone to be as much out of sight as possible. There will be no
forewarning to students of the exact time of the drill. There will be a
message read to students on Monday morning during their first or second
class of the day informing them that a drill will happen sometime within
the next could weeks. I would ask that you talk to your child about it,
request of them that they cooperate for the few minutes of the drill, and,
after the event, ask them how it went. We collect feedback from teachers,
students, and parents. although we are following federal and state
guidelines, local feedback is helpful.

	Thanks in advance for your understanding and cooperation. 


Arthur Dulong
Principal, CCHS