Duck and cover, throw your school supplies, hide, run. Time and time again, we have been told how to respond to an armed intruder situation while at school. While these drills have been present within the majority of our times in grade school, they are in dire need of some serious updates.

My memories of lockdown procedures are faint. I remember huddling in the corner with my classmates in the dark thinking, “Jerry sprayed too much Axe again.” or “I wish I could use my phone right now.” I can never remember a time thinking that we would ever be in an emergent situation, or that these procedures would successfully meet their objectives. This is due to the fact that lockdown procedures have always felt ridiculous to me.  

The thought that a locked door and dim lighting could protect me from a person with the intentions to kill has never been something I’ve wholeheartedly believed in. But what else can be done?

In light of last year’s numerous school shootings, the thoughts of a shooting happening at South, as well as the thoughts of what I would do in that type of situation, consumed me. I no longer thought of the potent aromas of body spray but rather “what would I do if I was going to my locker when the shooter entered?” or “what if I was at lunch?”

After lockdown drills in classrooms last year, South students told administration they had concerns about the open cafeteria and auditorium spaces. The cafeteria holds the single largest amount of people on a day to day basis (excluding the infrequent assembly or class meeting), and yet there weren’t drills there.

Drills in those locations were held in the spring and again this week.

While I do commend the administration for being receptive to the student body’s concerns, I still have doubts regarding the success of the physical execution of these plans. The drills I participated in today felt disorganized and chaotic. Add a shooter to this equation, and it will be more so. Additionally, I do not agree with principals Joe Doyle and Jay True that students are safe from a shooter if safely behind a locked door. If the shooter is a student already in a classroom, armed with weapons that could break a lock (ie: a gun) or is simply determined, damage could easily be incurred no matter where you are located.

While I am happy that the administration is making efforts to make the school a safer place, I am skeptical of the success of these new procedures.