Dear Concerned Parents,
Have you heard the good news? It was a false alarm! Phew! We’re so glad you were prepared to remove your child from a secure location during a life-threatening scenario. Little do you know, your actions would have unnecessarily brought danger to yourself, your child and the rest of the school. We appreciate you.
If you didn’t know, the Texas School Safety Center has a lock-down procedure explanation that we think would ease your worries. Since our elementary days, this protocol has been drilled into us for 180 instructional days a year. The phrase “Lockdown! Locks, Lights, Out of Sight!” is well-remembered. We students have heard it applied to a variety of lockdown-worthy scenarios ranging from an accidental guest missing their visitor’s tag to a suspicious figure in the vicinity that turned out to be a false alarm.
For 180 instructional days a year, we students are informed on the importance of remaining calm and level-headed during an emergency. For 180 instructional days a year, your child is tasked with effectively responding to at least nine impromptu lockdown drills, and after each drill, you receive an email from the principal praising the school’s efficient lockdown response.
It is a parent’s lifelong duty to worry. From the moment your child is born, concern for their perpetual safety is a constant weight on your shoulders. We understand that. We appreciate that.
What we don’t appreciate are attempts to put your child in danger as a result of your thinking they’ll be safer in your arms than inside a locked, dark, inconspicuous classroom with a teacher ready to defend them like a knight riding into battle for his kingdom. As much as it is your responsibility, parents, to worry about your child’s safety, the school must prepare them for the inevitable dangers they are to experience in the future. Coming to campus during a lockdown places your child and others in more danger.
No day is guaranteed, and safety can never be 100% ensured. Allow schools to adequately prepare your child for emergencies so that they can learn how to keep themselves safe if it comes down to it. Stay at work and home, parents. We’ve got this under control.
Warmest regards,
Legacy Students
