School Safety

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  • How common are high school lockdowns?

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    Apr 19, 2023

    My student is a freshman at El Cerrito High. We love many things about ECHS (the diversity of the students and community, the great and committed teachers, the JMP center, all the wonderful student-run clubs, and more). But the school has lockdowns seemingly every two months. Each time it's happened, it appears to be reports of a student having brought a gun to school, so they go into lockdown while police search through the school, lockers, etc. I'm relieved school administrators take these threats seriously, instead of dismissing them like the situation in Virginia where a student shot his teacher. But this just seems so frequent. Is this simply the reality of urban high schools? Is this happening with similar frequency at other East Bay schools, like in Berkeley or Oakland? 

    Apr 19, 2023

    I have a freshman at Albany High and there has not been a lockdown so far this school year. (knock on wood)

    Apr 24, 2023

    My child is at Oakland Tech, and they have a few lockdowns a year - NOT as a drill, but in response to actual threats. They're scary and stressful for everyone, but I am SO GLAD they act promptly. This is not something I would ever consider complaining about. You likely have no idea what they're dealing with. They don't have an obligation to release all information to the community.

    Apr 24, 2023

    I share your concern. The lock downs are too frequent. Seems like most are verbal threats and the administration feels the need to lock down. It could turn into a situation where the kids and staff take the threats less seriously over time. Or it can just become too stressful for students to attend the school. They are in a transition time in administration. Hopefully there is a solution that allows the kids just to get back to attending classes. 

    Apr 24, 2023

    I don't know how well your school is communicating with you about why the lockdowns are happening, but when my kid started high school she had a few "shelter-in-place" experiences that were the result of medical emergencies on campus. I.e., they needed to bring an ambulance on campus (a kid fainted, a kid broke a leg, etc.), and didn't want anyone moving about. They didn't communicate this reason to the new kids on campus, so my kid was freaking out and so was I, but once they figured out how to tell what was happening they calmed down. So, I wonder if some of the "lockdowns" are actually a "shelter-in-place" because of a medical emergency?

    Apr 24, 2023

    yes, and it's happening at elementary schools too. I never leave my classroom without my phone because at least twice per year we have a lockdown and I want to be able to contact my family if I need to. I teach first grade. To be clear, the lockdowns in elementary are for other reasons such as- strange man running thru campus, police activity on a nearby street, etc.. One year the kids were in their classrooms/cafeteria for 2 hours. We had kids using the bathrooms in sinks and trashcans while the teacher and other students did their best to hold up jackets and other things to shield them. That's something they'll remember forever. Now every classroom has a mobile toilet, which is essentially a bucket with a liner and some chemicals. 

    Apr 24, 2023

    Yes, this is the reality of an urban HS.  I graduated from ECHS in 2000 and we had a handful of lockdowns back then.  They were mostly verbal, someone calling in a bomb threat on a standardized test day or something like that.  It seems as though its not gotten any better, and with what is happening in the world it sounds like there are more reasons now for the lockdowns than ever, but they've been happening at ECHS for 20+ years.

    Apr 24, 2023