Lockdown Drill at Central High School
Updated: February 8, 2007
It was a first for Central High School and Champaign Police on Thursday. They worked together, on a lock-down drill to test the School's emergency plan.
Overall school leaders say the plan worked out pretty, but there are some minor issues they need to work out. Planning can only go so far, and no one can plan how an emergency will play out, so officers and school leaders say they wanted to be prepared.
The drill started around 9:30 a.m. Sophomore Daniel Edwards was in math class, when the school leaders announced the campus was under "code red." Edwards says his teacher acted in a calm manner, "I think she did a good job, i think the whole school did a good job about it." He thinks from today's test, "I think we learned we're ready for anything."
Central High School Resource Officer Brandon Thomas says he's pleased with how everyone reacted, but says there are some minor mechanical and communication issues to work out, " some protocol issues on behalf of some teachers, and some things we missed out on, and from top down, we need to reaffirm what people are expected to do." He says he just wants to make sure everyone knows what to do
This emergency was also to test parents. The school sent them an email right before the drill, letting them know it was just a test, but the Principal says he also wanted to make sure parents knew how to act if there was a real lock-down. He says in that case, parents should not call the school or police, or come to campus. Instead, he says, they should log on to the school's website, where the school will post information as soon as they can. He says if parents show up, it will only worsen the situation.
Organizers say the school will hold another drill in the future to test its emergency plan again. Other champaign schools, will also hold similar drills.
Overall school leaders say the plan worked out pretty, but there are some minor issues they need to work out. Planning can only go so far, and no one can plan how an emergency will play out, so officers and school leaders say they wanted to be prepared.
The drill started around 9:30 a.m. Sophomore Daniel Edwards was in math class, when the school leaders announced the campus was under "code red." Edwards says his teacher acted in a calm manner, "I think she did a good job, i think the whole school did a good job about it." He thinks from today's test, "I think we learned we're ready for anything."
Central High School Resource Officer Brandon Thomas says he's pleased with how everyone reacted, but says there are some minor mechanical and communication issues to work out, " some protocol issues on behalf of some teachers, and some things we missed out on, and from top down, we need to reaffirm what people are expected to do." He says he just wants to make sure everyone knows what to do
This emergency was also to test parents. The school sent them an email right before the drill, letting them know it was just a test, but the Principal says he also wanted to make sure parents knew how to act if there was a real lock-down. He says in that case, parents should not call the school or police, or come to campus. Instead, he says, they should log on to the school's website, where the school will post information as soon as they can. He says if parents show up, it will only worsen the situation.
Organizers say the school will hold another drill in the future to test its emergency plan again. Other champaign schools, will also hold similar drills.
