Child Protection

A lockdown procedure is implemented to protect students, staff and community members in the case of potentially dangerous situations arising within the school or nearby community. Most lockdowns will be instigated by unknown and immediate threats such as unwanted visitors, intruders, hazardous materials or political unrest. A ‘full’ lockdown signals a real and active threat to the school community and involves the sounding of the warning signal and the clearing of all public areas of students, staff and visitors securing potential victims in a safe place. Lockdown procedures should be preplanned and staff and students should be aware of procedures and have an opportunity to practice these.

1. LOCKDOWN ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• In the event of a lock down the following roles and responsibilities will be in place:
• Admin assess the situation and initiate the warning signal, lockdown procedures and liaison with outside agencies
• Admin – seek safety and communicate with administration, office staff and teachers by phone
• Teachers and Staff Members – ensure the safety of students and adults in the immediate area and make an initial check of attendance
• Office Staff – take cover in a safe place

2. LOCKDOWN ANNOUNCEMENT

When Admin become aware of an intruder or possible threat to the school they will:

• Alert teachers, staff, students and other community members by broadcasting the lockdown announcement over the PA system 
• Contact the police

If a teacher, staff member, or other adult discovers a situation that may warrant a lockdown and this has not been announced over the PA system, the staff member will:

• Shout “Lockdown, Lockdown, intruder in the building”
• Lock students in the classroom if supervising a class
• Report immediately to the Principal as well as Kindergarten, Primary, and Secondary Heads.

If a student discovers a situation they will alert the nearest teacher, administrator or member of the security staff.

3. GENERAL LOCKDOWN PROCEDURES

In the event of a lockdown, in all locations teachers/staff will:

• Check common areas for students or adults and bring them into a lockdown room
• Close and lock the doors
• Keep students/adults away from windows and doors
• Keep students/adults calm and silent
• Ask students/adults not to use phones or electrical devices
• Close blinds and turn off lights. Try to block other viewpoints with furniture or other objects.
• Deny access to the room by any unknown person
• Never leave the classroom to search for missing students or adults
• Wait for the all clear signal before exiting the room. The all clear signal will be the turning off of the alarm and coincides with a verbal announcement with a known member of the senior administration (Director, Principals and Director of Operations)

** If for any reason a teacher is not supervising their assigned class at the time of an alarm sounding (i.e., students are unsupervised), it is their responsibility to return to their students.