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We have recently completed formulating answers to the questions posed during the recent online seminar. Questions (Q) and answers (A) from the seminar are as follows:
Please feel free to keep responding and asking questions. We are happy to continue this conversation!
Q: Should our Safety Plan be posted on our website and made public? or does this compromise safety? Larry Maynard, HS Principal
A: There are parts of the lesson plan that might be helpful to post – such as a relocation location and the procedures for parent pickup when students are off site. This type of information would be helpful to parents and staff. However, it is not necessary – or advisable – to post other parts of the plan on the website.

Q: do you recommend that classroom doors be locked during the day so they can just be pulled closed if there should be such an emergency? (the doors do not lock from inside so kids can get OUT if necessary)
A: Some schools want classroom doors locked, and some don’t. We can understand both points of view. Keeping doors locked all the time creates issues with students coming and going from classrooms with legitimate business. We would suggest having the door in the locked position or with keys close at hand with the capability of securing them quickly.
Q: I do not have the Outside or Off Campus part...was it attached? This should have been made available to everyone with the revised handout.
A: Good point. I will let them know and get everyone the materials.
Q: We use "partial" lockdown (lock the doors adn may teach)and "Full" lockdown is this acceptable?
A: A ‘graduated’ lockdown procedure is workable most of the time. An example of a time when a lockdown would not have to include moving children into a corner of the room might be if law enforcement notifies school officials that a nearby bank has been robbed and the robber left the bank on foot. At that point, it would be advisable to double check outside doors to make sure they are secure. You might even want to restrict access to the hallway by students – but that might not even be necessary.

Q: Should all staff be able to call the office and alert to go to lockdown or should it just be admin?
A: There might be a time when a staff member is aware of a problem and office personnel are not yet aware. At that point, the staff member should secure his area and notify the office of the circumstances. With few exceptions, it should be the school administrator (or designee) that initiates a full lockdown. One exception might be if the office is inaccessible because it is the scene of the incident. Then, staff should feel empowered to act.

Q: The table top exercises you referred to, are these available and can you tell us how to access them?
A: Many people have inquired about tabletop exercises. There are some books of exercises for elementary and secondary schools for purchase at the following website http://www.edu-safe.org/resources. Additionally, you can use an Internet search engine with the words “Tabletop exercises for school safety’
Q: Is the establishment of this separate procedure for Lethal assailant going to be put forward to our Boards of Education?
A: It is up to local jurisdictions as to whether or not this might need to be sanctioned by Board Policy; however, the School Board should be notified of the contents and recommendations – regardless of whether or not it merits a policy.
Q: Can you show the definitions of concealment and cover again at some point?
A: Concealment – shielded from view
Cover – indicates some type of protection
Q: our doors are built to open outward, any ideas about barricading when this is the case?
A: A few of you mentioned fire codes. Fire codes address exterior doors, but some may also address inside doors We suggest checking with local fire officials if you are considering remodeling that involves classroom doors. If you currently have classroom doors that can only be opened into the hallway, you can still barricade, and it can still help.
Q: Besides using PA system outside, what other communication tools would you suggest to use for communicating to outside classrooms such as P.E.classes
A: Teachers could take two way radios or cell phones with them to playgrounds or athletic fields. In an emergency, you could use a text blast for pre-programmed numbers.

Q: Will we or do we have the ability to print the slides at the end?
A: The ppt is not available, but all procedures can be found in the template available here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/j9pro0e58rqruu3/28%20Active%20Shooter.doc
Q: You mentioned a notetaking guide, but I don't know where that is located. Was it sent via email?
A: download here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/zno39dnhi9yygab
/Notes-%20Deterring%20and%20Responding%20to%20Violence.docx
Q: Thank you for all the information given.
A:You are welcome!
Q: Concerns about after school events and programs.
A: We recommend making an announcement before any evening or weekend event that includes exit and sheltering information. You should also notify the audience who is the supervisor on duty. We also recommend training anyone that helps to supervise after school events related to emergency events. The crisis plan needs to include provisions for stadiums and gyms related to evacuation and sheltering. There should also be a crisis kit in the gym area.
Q: Levels or lockdown: can creating a Major/Minor lockdown end up giving people a flase sense of security? Shouldn't all lockdowns be conducted with the same level of urgeny?
A: We agree that all lockdown situations be considered urgent and drills should be taken seriously by students and staff. Even though a lockdown may be initiated for some reason other than a lethal assailant, it is still a serious situation that warrants everyone’s attention.
Q: Don't red and green cards indicate to a shooter where people are hiding?
A. There is some risk in divulging the occupancy of a room. We would recommend cards not be used until such time as the teacher believes law enforcement is in the hallway or on the exterior of the building.
Q: How often would you recommend to have drills in the elementary setting?
A; Fire drills should be conducted monthly, and severe weather drill quarterly. As for lockdown drills, we suggest 3 per year.
Q: how do I download the powerpoint?
A: PPT is not available yet. I will send with recording.
Q: What do you think about using red/green cards under the door in windows.

A: This has value for emergency responders. Some folks worry about the assailant seeing the cards and know someone is in the room, and there is always that possibility. However, most assailants – at least up until now – have been on the inside of the building.
Q: Will this webinar be shown again as I am alone in the office and am having to answer the phone and deal with a few dropins and I'm missing some good points.
A: The webinar is available through the Ed Leaders Network.
Q: How do you inform traveling teachers of situations?

A; I’m not sure if you are defining a traveling teacher as one that changes rooms throughout the day or if you are referencing a teacher that may travel to different school campuses during the day. Teachers that travel to different campuses during a school day must familiarize themselves with the emergency plans for both campuses. If they are in different rooms of the same building, they must be familiar with exits and sheltering plans for all locations. Text blasts and emails could be used if you’re only wanting to communicate with a few.
Q: Do you flee the building before know if there is an outside shooter, as well?
A; During a event involving a lethal assailant, the decision to stay in the room or flee will have to be based on the best information the teacher has at the time. Statistically, more shooters commit carnage on the insider rather than the outside.

Q: has the secret service updated documents? The examples shown are from 2002.
A: The documents shown in the presentation are the most current available.
Q: should students have access to external doors with a transponder
A: We are not sure what type of transponder you are referencing. Please call or email us with more details.
Q: Should teachers keep their doors locked at all times?
A: This is not a question easily answered, and there are advantages and disadvantages on both sides. If the decision is made to keep doors unlocked, teachers must have a quick way of securing the door in an emergency situation.
Q: where is the notetaking guide?
A: Download here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/zno39dnhi9yygab/Notes-%20Deterring%20and%20Responding%20to%20Violence.docx
Q: When was the template sent? I may have missed it. Do you know what email it was from?
A: You can download the template here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/j9pro0e58rqruu3/28%20Active%20Shooter.doc
Q: It appears that much of the information regarding "outside or off campus" is not in the emplate. Will the PPT be made available to fill in those gaps?
A: You should have received this from the Ed Leaders Network with an email from Arlin Peebles.
Q: Regarding communication to staff or over speakers, what is the current thought on using coded language compared to simply saying, "We have an intruder, please lock all doors."
A: We do not recommend the use of coded language. All within the building need to understand the directions, so simple direct instructions are best.
Q: I would like to commend the presenters for their efforts. This is the most useful session I have attended in five years!
A: Our pleasure! Glad you found it helpful.
Q: I have seen very few useful texts with the type of practical information you are giving. Do you have recommendations for guidance documents?
A: The resources at the end of the note taking guide should help with this. Some are a few years old, but they are still considered ‘current’ by the respective agencies.
Q: What is the standard protocol to end a 'Hard Lockdown" with lethal intruder? Have admin unlock all doors? Police clear all rooms? ect
A:In an actual event, law enforcement would end the lockdown.
Q: What is the feeling that staff and students should have cell phone on their person? The days of not letting anyone have a cell phone has past.
A:. We would emphsize that students need to resist using cell phone during a lockdown (drill or otherwise). Student attention needs to be directed to the adult in charge.
Q: Please restate where the note-taking guide document is located (I do not have that)
A: Here's link to download: https://www.dropbox.com/s/zno39dnhi9yygab/Notes-%20Deterring%20and%20Responding%20to%20Violence.docx
Q: are the documents you are referring to updated yearly?
A: The crisis plan needs to be carefully reviewed in its entirety each school year.

Q: doesnt having a card identify the 'status' of the room give the intruder additional information
A: Yes, so it is not a flawless response. However, it also gives emergency service providers important information, too.
Q: My teachers have wondered what to do if an intruder/active shooter breaks into the school in a doorway near their classroom if they should call a lockdown?
A: Teachers should be empowered to lockdown their classrooms when they believe warranted - whether they are notified by the office of not. If they are aware of a lethal assailant in the building and have not heard an announcement they notify office immediately. If they have the capability of making a lock down announcement, they could do that, too.
Q: Could you please make specific suggestions for staff development table top discussions?
A: The value of a tabletop exercise is not that the staff is given specific instructions on how to respond. The real value is the process of problem solving the event. After presenting the scenario, discuss all of the considerations – weather, time of day, communication capabilities, age of students, etc. Next, list as many options for a response as necessary. Some may seem a bit ‘far out’, but they still may need to be discussed. For each option, discuss the up sides and the down sides to the response. At that point, participants realize there will seldom be one correct way to respond. And, finally, have staff vote on the options to see which ones seem most feasible. Do not be surprised to see a wide variation in what people believe needs to be done.
Q: Do you recommend an actual "live" drill involving an armed intruder?
A: This would be okay for staff but not for students.
Q: Would please describe the red/green card in more detail?
A: Red and green cards are used to notify emergency responders information related to locations of students and staff and if someone is injured or needs assistance. They can be placed in outside windows so that responders can see from the outside where folks need help.
Q: What form of communication is there avaliable that would allow administrators to keep staff informed of the situation?
A: Different circumstances would allow different types of communication. Consider using a text blast, email, bull horns, intercoms. It just depends on what is actually happening.
Q: What is the best way for staff to alert the office to which students are missing?
A: If circumstances allow, teachers could send a quick email stating names of missing students. If the event requires evacuation, the red and green card method of notification would work well. Green if everyone is there and red if there is a missing or extra student in the group.
Q: Fire codes require outward opening doors.
A: That is correct for outside doors. However, not all local codes require outward opening doors for inside doors.
Q: Is the webinar archived for future access?
A: Yes, and will be sent to all registrants.
Q: The NIMS is dated 12/2008 is the next edition being produced?
A: Yes, that is the most current. For additional information, contact your local emergency management office.
Q: Thank you very helpful information.
A: You are welcome!
Q: In dealing with a lethal assailant, is it wise if possible, to announce details over PA or intercom system as to where he/she is, what they are wearing, where they are going? Or is it better to not announce in the building and follow the specific plan as far as lockdown.
A: In the case of a lethal assailant, there probably won’t be time to give details. Just give instructions on what you want everyone to do.

Q: In dealing with a lethal assailant, is it wise if possible, to announce details over PA or intercom system as to where he/she is, what they are wearing, where they are going? Or is it better to not announce in the building and follow the specific plan as far as lockdown.
A: This information would be most helpful to law enforcement.
Q: new windows with tinting for energy conservation, any suggestions for red/green card, will it be seen?
A: We are not sure. It will probably depend upon the manufacturer.
Q: Are there any grants that you know of that aids in updating safety procedures? We need to install outside speakers for our phy ed classes
A: None that we are aware of, but we suspect additional federal $ will be available in the near future.
Q: Would a loud siren be OK to let band/choir and PE classses know that there is an intruder in the building?
A: Yes, that could work
Q: What type of preventative security do you recommend for the front entrance of buildings?
A: Large, concrete fixtures such as those seen outside governmental buildings. They can be attractive and sever a security purpose. Bullet proof glass is also a possibility, but it’s expensive. And, it only provides protection at the front entrance unless it is installed throughout the building. We like to see a double entrance – where guests cannot enter the part of the building with students and staff unless they have first entered an office area and been through visitor screening.
Q: Did we get login to blog? If so, how?
A: Blog is public, but to make comments you need to create an ELN account (no fee associated) here: https://netforum.avectra.com/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Site=ELN&WebCode=Verify
Q: Thank you!
A: Thank you for listening!
Q: Would you suggest, as a normal daily procedure, for all teachers to keep their classroom doors locked when they and students are in there, or only lock as needed for security?
A: There are advantages and disadvantages to both. However, at the very least, doors need to be able to be easily secured in a matter of seconds. If it is possible to do this and keep them unlocked until necessary to secure, then we believe that is sufficient.
Q: Are doors that open out only required on exterior doors in order to comply with fire code?
A: Fire codes do require outside doors to open outwardly. Some local codes may require the same. Before installing doors in a school building, always check with local emergency officials prior to making the purchase.
Q: If we hear active shooting in the building, what are we supposed to do, lockdown or try to escape?
A: There is not a simple answer to this question. It could be that both responses would work. Generally, it is best to lock down and await the arrival of law enforcement – or additional instructions from the intercom. However, there can be circumstances where it is best to flee. If a lethal assailant is about to make entry into the room, look for alternative ways to escape. Or, if gunfire is heard in the hallway, look for a way to escape. This could be a door or a window. The main thing is to consider these possibilities before the day of a tragic event and give thought to what you would do if…..
Q: What is your ideas for neutralizing suspects? Thoughts?
A: Hit them, tackle them, use anything that will disable them or make it impossible for them to proceed.

Q: I'm not finding the cell phone suggestions on the blog. Can you touch on this?
A: It's down in the comments, last one: http://www.edleadersnetwork.org/edleadersnetwork/community/blogs/blogviewer?BlogKey=ebaaacf4-de2b-4f27-95c8-da7b0c076790
Q: Can you send a copy of the powerpoint?
A: Sorry, the ppt is not available. All pertinent information is included in the handout, which can be downloaded here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/zno39dnhi9yygab/Notes-%20Deterring%20and%20Responding%20to%20Violence.docx
Q: Any advice on minimally what should be in a crisis kit and should one be located in every classroom? If not, then where?
A: All rooms should have some basic first aid supplies - latex gloves, sterile wipes, hand sanitizer, band aids. Crisis kits don't have to be in all rooms but should be located throughout the building and at the relocation sites. Supplies for these kits would include water, blankets, first aid supplies, flashlights, batteries, yearbook, and other items necessary for a bigger emergency or a long term event.
Q: Does anyone have several effective table top drills/exercise that cuold be shared to all? Could there be a set of standarized table top exercises that could be published?
A: There are some books of exercises for elementary and secondary schools for purchase at the following website http://www.edu-safe.org/resources. Additionally, you can use an Internet search engine with the words “Tabletop exercises for school safety’
Q: if you use the intercom to initiate a lock down, what phrase do you recommend to use?
A: Be direct with the language and repeat it twice. “Teachers secure your classrooms. Students, proceed immediately to the nearest location with an adult.”
Q: At one point we were told to keep window shades to the outside open so the law enforcement could have eyes in the building when they got here. Do you think that is a good idea and should be done or not?
A: We understand that not everyone agrees, but we recommend windows be covered during an assault by a lethal assailant. There is risk both ways, and we would not want to impede law enforcement; however, there are important reasons to keep a perpetrator ‘guessing’ as to which room(s) had occupants. We suggest having this revisiting this discussion with your local officials.
Q: Has there been a discussion about making a universal alarm system similar to a fire alarms?
A: We are not aware of any discussion.

Q: Should our Safety Plan be posted on our website and made public? or does this compromise safety? Larry Maynard, HS Principal
A: There are parts of the lesson plan that might be helpful to post – such as a relocation location and the procedures for parent pickup when students are off site. This type of information would be helpful to parents and staff. However, it is not necessary – or advisable – to post other parts of the plan on the website.

Angie, keeping classrooms locked throughout the day can create problems related to student and staff mobility. However, we know that some teachers prefer the doors locked, and some prefer them unlocked. We recommend that if the classroom doors are to remain unlocked, the teacher should have a way of securing them quickly and with little effort. A good compromise is to keep them locked where they only have to be pulled closed to secure them (providing you have the type of doors that allow for this).

Would you recommend that classrooms stay locked throughout the day which would save a step in case of an intruder? (In our case, classroom doors lock from the outside but not the inside. Students can always get out of the room.) Thanks.

Question
An Assistant Superintendent in Missouri asked, "What do you think about installing bullet proof glass in a school?"
Our Response
We would not be opposed to that strategy because of what it could accomplish; however, from a practical standpoint, we believe you will find it problematic related to cost, especially if you consider that you will just about have to use that type of glass at every place where an assailant could gain entry. We know the logical point of attempted entry will always be the main doors to the school, but you can not count on that being the case, and you would have to protect other entry locations, too. The bottom line is we would say it has very limited value in a school setting.

This morning we received the following questions from a middle school principal in Illinois. Her questions and our response are written below.
Questions:
I will be participating in the webinar scheduled for 1/10/13. I am hopeful that one of the issues that might be addressed is a recommendation about what to do about students and cell phones in a crisis situation. Our students are allowed to carry their phones with them to class, and I'm sure that, in a crisis event, they would want to contact their parents to make them aware that they are safe--just as their parents would try to contact them as well. Yet I know this could create a dangerous situation if we are trying to avoid drawing the attention of an intruder.
Additionally, our crisis plan on paper (developed initially prior to the time when nearly all of our students carried cell phones) emphasizes that all information, directions, etc. to parents and public be channeled through one designated Public Information Officer.
I am curious about how others are addressing this situation and your recommendations.
Our Response:
Good questions.
Cell phones are a problem during this type of event as you realize.
Our recommendation is that during an active shooter event the teacher be the only one allowed to use a cell phone where voice communication takes place, and this would occur only when the teacher believes the benefit of communicating outweighs the risk. The most likely scenario would be contacting law enforcement directly to either relay information or seek advice. We recommend silence be maintained in the classroom during an active shooter event unless there is an overriding need to talk or take action that creates noise. The obvious reason is the desire to create a belief that the classroom is unoccupied.
Now to the other side of cell phones and text messages. We believe students should be discouraged from texting information from the classroom. Our reasons are twofold. First and most important is that during an active shooter event the teacher will want students focused on him or her so they can immediately respond to instructions and orders. These events play out in a very short period of time, and the need to have students focused and ready to respond is critical. The other reason for not wanting students to text information out of the room is that parents and others may relay this information, which may be correct or incorrect, to media outlets.
There is an exception to our recommendation related to student communications. If the situation is that the teacher is incapacitated or the student(s) are sheltering where an adult is not present, students may need to seek advice from an adult via cell phone. Students should realize that this is a risk, and the benefit will need to outweigh the risk.
It is important to have an age appropriate discussion with students about sheltering procedures, etc. each year. We believe students need to understand why you would instruct them to not use their cell phones for communication during an active shooter event. When students understand the reasons why, they are more likely to be compliant. The same is true for parents. When they understand the reasons for the request, they can reinforce the school's instructions at home.
To your second question concerning release of information only through the PIO. We still adhere to that rule. There is obviously a limit to how successful schools and staff will be in managing what is said to the media, but to the degree practical, schools should have one designated spokesperson that works closely with his counterpart in law enforcement when deciding who will speak and what will be said.
Thanks for sending this question in advance. We will have very limited time for taking questions during the webinar, and this assures your questions get our attention.
Best,
Dennis and Judy