Schools

BOE Recap: Emergency Preparedness Update

Administrators and board review procedures and key terms in case of an emergency.

Administrators and Board of Education trustees reviewed the emergency evacuation procedures and key terminology that should be used in case of an emergency at Tuesday's board meeting.

Several administrators recently met with Nassau BOCES Executive Manager Paul LaDuca, who explained that districts throughout the county will use the same terminology to describe different emergencies, which will help coordinate efforts with local police and fire departments.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. William Johnson explained the difference between a "lockdown" and a "lockout." Johnson said the term lockdown would only be used in a "nightmare scenario" when there is an imminent threat inside the district, like a gunman in a school. He added that in that scenario, classrooms would be locked and students would be lined up against a wall.

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A lockout, he explained, is where the district would restrict movement in and out of the school, and only authorized personnel could enter a school during a lockout. That decision — entrance allowance into a school — would be left to the school's principal, Johnson noted.

The most recent case of a lockout — when a evaded police on Oct. 7 — was inaccurately described as a lockdown, Johsnon said.

Find out what's happening in Rockville Centrewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Board members also discussed evacuation procedures, which Johnson said students would either walk or be bussed to a safe, undisclosed secondary location.


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