Lincoln County School District has a robust training and drill program to help prepare students and staff to respond safely in a variety of emergency situations.
Training Videos: We have developed more than 25 training videos filmed in and customized for our school district. The videos mirror our written School Emergency Plan covering topics such as earthquakes, lockdown, severe weather, threats, medical emergencies, etc. We also developed a video series for School Bus Drivers which corresponds to our School Bus Emergency Plan. Some of our videos have won national awards: a 2011 Bronze Telly Award for Excellence and a 2011 Silver W3 Award from the International Academy of Visual Arts. As part of our training program, school staff watch several of these videos before classes begin each year.
Drills: In order to practice our emergency procedures, we have a district-wide drill schedule consisting of approximately two drills each month. Drills include: fire, earthquake, shelter-in-place, room clear, reverse evacuation, and lockdown. After all of our drills (and real emergencies), school principals fill out an Emergency and Drill Report Form to review what was done well and how we can improve. Read more about our Drill Protocols. We also have various Emergency Kits and supplies to support the implementation of our drills and real emergencies.
Here is a brief description of some of our drills:
Code Yellow Lockdown: Used to limit movement on campus while an emergency situation is being assessed and managed, such as a medical emergency, a behavior issue, dangerous activity in the community, a suspicious person on or near campus, etc. Students are secured in their classrooms and instruction continues while school administration (and sometimes police) manage the situation.
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Code Red Lockdown: More serious and is used to shut down the entire campus due to an imminent threat of danger such as a dangerous person on or near campus, a significant threat, or an act of violence on campus. In this case, everyone is secured in their rooms, doors are locked, lights are off, and everyone is on the floor and quiet while police help to manage the situation.
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Shelter-in-Place: When hazardous materials contaminate the environment, whether from a hazardous materials spill in the community, excessive smoke from a wildfire nearby, a swarm of bees outside, volcanic ash in the air, etc., it may be necessary to temporarily seal off students and staff from the outside to prevent exposure to a contaminant in the air. This is called a Shelter-in-Place and includes taking immediate shelter inside; shutting down HVAC systems (heating, ventilation, air conditioning); and sealing off windows, doors, vents, and other openings to outside air.
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Bus Expectations and Emergency Procedures: At least two times per year, schools conduct a bus safety and behavioral review with all students. This includes instruction for (1) Safe school bus riding procedures, including but not limited to loading, unloading, crossing etc; (2) Use of emergency exits and evacuation of the school bus in case of emergency; and (3) Instruction on the bus behavioral expectations. A bus evacuation drill is also reviewed with all students who are regularly transported by the district each spring.
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