Security Drill

Homer Senior High School performed an evacuation drill Thursday, October 6th. It was the first time that the school ever did any drill like this, and that begs the question: why did we perform this type of drill? Well, I wanted to find the answer.

Prior to the drill, I spoke with Homer High’s vice principal, Mrs. Kara Schneider. I asked her why we were doing this type of drill for the first time. She told me that all Homer schools are performing an evacuation drill at some point. She also told me that other school districts are performing the same drill. I was informed that Homer’s superintendent, Ms. Nancy Ruscio wants to perform an evacuation drill in order to prepare us for different types of emergencies, and also to find any flaws in the evacuation plan. The school had made an evacuation plan, but there was no way of knowing how well it would work, or if it would cause any issues, without practicing it. Mrs. Schneider also mentioned the fact that New York State has changed regulations for school drills. Now, the state wants school to perform less fire drills and more of other kinds of drills that prepare us for different kinds of emergencies. That brings me to the main purpose of this drill, which is practice. You cannot become good at something without practicing it. We needed to practice an evacuation so that we would know what to do and would be able to do it well in the event of a real emergency.

Schools are evacuated for various reasons Certain scenarios, however, seem more likely to call for an evacuation than others. Due to the unfortunate events of today’s society, it is easy to see why we should be performing evacuation drills. The number and frequency of school shootings is on the rise. From the tragic Sandy Hook shooting in 2012 to the recent attempt at a school shooting in Townville, South Carolina, school shootings are a greater threat to us now than ever before. Evacuations could be the solution to this growing problem.

A bomb threat is also a legitimate possibility. Just last week, Marathon High School received a bomb threat from a 14-year-old boy who told a friend that he had a bomb in his backpack. While the boy did not actually have a bomb, it still makes you realize that legitimate bomb threats could actually happen. In the event of a bomb threat, an evacuation of the building could be the solution. Evacuation drills also prepare us for other types of emergencies too, whether it be a gas leak, a power outage, or even vandalism.

For the most part, the drill went well, considering that it was the first one. First, the school was put into lockdown and we had to sit on the floor in the dark in the corner of the room, all while remaining generally quiet. After some time, we exited the building and got on the bus, sitting three to a seat, and went to the JM McDonald Center. After arriving, we sat on the indoor turf while the teachers took attendance. We then got back on the bus and came back to the school.

The drill went smoothly as a whole. I did, however, notice some problems with instructions. For example, my eighth period teacher told us to sit on the bus according to how we sat in her class, but once we got on the bus, the other teachers were filling spaces and telling us where to go, so we couldn’t sit together the way our teacher wanted. I also asked other students how they thought the drill went, and I also asked them what they thought could be changed. Junior Jodi Shepherd said that she thought it was okay, but she thought that the police officer gave unclear instructions on what to do while they waited for permission to go to the buses. Sophomore Ally Hammond said that she thought the drill went well but that it would be impractical in a real emergency. Junior Derrick Fouts said that a potential perpetrator might know that we would evacuate to the JM McDonald Center. Fouts commended the work of the bus drivers but also mentioned that we should not have done an evacuation drill, a lockdown, and an early dismissal drill all on the same day. This, however, would not matter much in an emergency, but it is still something that can be changed for the next evacuation drill. Personally, I think that there should have been more buses and that instructions should have been more clear.

Nonetheless, this drill was simply practice and it was expected to have some problems. The point of the drill was to practice the plan so that we could change the plans as needs. This will ensure that we are prepared in the event of an emergency. In that sense, the drill was an unwavering success.