I’m sure that many of you remember the lockdown that took place on the first week of school. For most of you I’m sure that it was pretty scary. Everyone was running, shoes were falling off, kids were screaming. Very few students kept their cool and followed lockdown instructions. Many more, didn’t.

 Many students near the cafeteria booked it to the front door at the beginning of  lockdown. Don’t do that!

Stay away from doors and windows, especially the main entrance where an intruder is likely to enter. Luckily the doors were locked, but if they weren’t, many vulnerable students would have been closer to the actual threat.

As Ina Bakkar explained,   “I ran to the closest room, which was like a language room and hid.”

If there is a lockdown, you must follow the rules in the order run, hide and fight.

Many did take off and start running despite not knowing where the threat was. In this case, the danger was not on school grounds, and therefore students that exited campus in a panic would have actually been safer at the school.

Many of the students that did leave campus were initially in portables during the lockdown, and followed instructions from teachers to run and get off school grounds. If this was the case for you, you definitely are not to blame. Always remember to trust your instincts in such a situation.

Upon hearing the lockdown announcement, many people quickly gathered in the classrooms with teachers. This is generally the best course of action when in school, as the classrooms act as a fortress against possible intruders. 

Following the run, hide, fight philosophy, running is always the most ideal option, but only if you know where the intruder is and have a plan to get to safety. If you do find yourself running from an active shooter, run in a zig zag pattern to make yourself a more difficult target.

If you can’t run, the next best option is to hide. During the lockdown, most students found a classroom, locked the door, closed the windows, and stayed quiet. This may sound easy enough, but in the classroom I was in, some students found it very difficult to stay quiet because they were too busy arguing about what to do.

Ideally, everyone should know what has to be done in the case of a lockdown before a real emergency. Not remaining silent could potentially put you and others in harm’s way. 

“There were kids tech decking in the back” Said Bakkar. No matter what, you and others should remain quiet. 

 If for whatever reason you find that you can neither run nor hide, you must fight, but only as an absolute last resort.

If you do have to fight, it would be for a group people to rush the intruder and immediately try to disarm them. Once disarmed, the immediate threat vanishes. However, to reiterate, this is strictly a last resort!

And lastly remember, lockdowns are not a time to fool around. During our recent lockdown, a student was witnessed running through a hall and screaming. Fortunately, most of Tahoma’s student body knows not to contribute to the panic, but apparently not everybody.

No matter what happens during a lockdown, try to stay calm, and follow teacher directions.