When it gets warm, everyone gets antsy. It's finally spring, and the students knew exactly how to celebrate this gorgeous weather...
Call in bomb threats. Every day. For a week.
This is what is supposed to happen:
1. A blocked number shows up on the main line for the school. Ms. K or Ms. P picks up the phone.
2. A kid disguises their voice and says that there is a bomb in the school.
3. Everyone with a radio is notified that we must evacuate the building.
4. The fire alarm is pulled.
5. The school evacuates and goes to sit on the far bleachers, where there is no shade from the unrelenting sun.
6. We sit there, theoretically by class, until the SWAT team comes to the school and clears the building. Teachers are to be on the bleachers with their students, administration to be scattered along the front to keep an eye on everything.
7. Everyone with a radio is given the go ahead and staff start moving students back inside.
8. Classes resume where they were until a modified schedule is sent out and an announcement is made.
9. Day continues.
Estimated length of disruption: 1-2 hours
This is what actually happens:
1. A blocked number shows up on the main line for the school. Ms. K or Ms. P picks up the phone.
2. A kid disguises their voice and says that there is a bomb in the school.
3. Everyone with a radio is notified that we must evacuate the building.
4. The fire alarm is pulled.
5. (Most) teachers pack up their bags and grab their belongings, students are asked to finish the sentence or assignment they're on. Students start yelling and acting like there is a legitimate threat of the building blowing up. The teacher continues to pack their things as students walk out of the classroom unescorted.
6. Security is rushing kids down the hall, telling them to go to the bleachers.
7. When outside, students wander around the football field until herded like cattle by the teachers onto the far bleachers, where there is no shade from the unrelenting sun.
8. 70% of teachers watch their students go into the stands, then sit/stand on the field and chat with their colleagues.
9. 30% of teachers go into the bleachers and sit with their students or occupy a section that does not have any adults.
10. Deans/administration stand in the middle of the football field, facing the bleachers, speaking over the radio about whether everyone is accounted for or not.
11. While waiting on the bleachers for the SWAT team to arrive and clear the building, at least 2 fights break out, where the teachers who are sitting in the stands are the ones to continually break them up. Administrative support arrives after the fight has been mostly broken up and take the offending students off the bleachers.
12. A few more teachers go down to the field as they do not feel like breaking up fights.
13. A teacher or two comes onto the bleachers and positions themselves in sections where adults may be needed.
14. Students become restless and begin leaving the bleachers, first in small groups, and walking towards the gate to try and leave (which is supposed to be locked).
15. As students on the bleachers notice those students who have left the bleachers are not being stopped because adults are busy talking, a mass exodus occurs, with 70-80% of the students leaving the bleachers and attempting to leave the school.
16. Adults attempt to keep these kids back, but fail, as the masses are stronger and don't seem to care about pushing authority, and ultimately step out of the way to avoid injury.
17. The students who are left on the bleachers wait until the administration has deemed it ok to re-enter the building, then go back to their classes.
18. Teachers re-enter the building and go to their classrooms.
19. Classes resume where they were until a modified schedule is sent out and an announcement is made.
20. Day continues with around 100-200 students left in the building.
Actual length of disruption: 2-4 hours (depending on the day)
There are many things that are mind blowing about this scenario....
Let's start with that this happened 3 days in a row. Monday - Wednesday. Thursday came around and I started carrying a Bomb Threat Bag (BTB) because I had 4 meetings on Thursday that had to happen. I told the Cluster Team if there was a bomb threat that I was going out the FRONT door and holding my meetings on the street. They understood.
Second, if you know that blocked numbers are calling in bomb threats, why are you continuing to pick up the phone? This happens every year... Live and learn. It took until Thursday for the school to stop picking up blocked numbers.
Third, let's revisit where adults were during this entire scenario. I have many ideas for how to strategically place adults during such events as to prevent ANY fights from breaking out. None of these ideas were implemented as I was clearly told, "We need to be on the field so we can see what's going on in the bleachers." But... if you were in the bleachers there wouldn't be anything to see.... you could use your radios to communicate what's going on. "No, but then we wouldn't have a clear picture of what was going on and where we needed to be." Oh, of course. My mistake...?
My final point will be focused on the mass exodus of students. To be honest... I have no words for this symbol of incompetency. I feel the image says it all...
Just another week in DCPS.
Call in bomb threats. Every day. For a week.
This is what is supposed to happen:
1. A blocked number shows up on the main line for the school. Ms. K or Ms. P picks up the phone.
2. A kid disguises their voice and says that there is a bomb in the school.
3. Everyone with a radio is notified that we must evacuate the building.
4. The fire alarm is pulled.
5. The school evacuates and goes to sit on the far bleachers, where there is no shade from the unrelenting sun.
6. We sit there, theoretically by class, until the SWAT team comes to the school and clears the building. Teachers are to be on the bleachers with their students, administration to be scattered along the front to keep an eye on everything.
7. Everyone with a radio is given the go ahead and staff start moving students back inside.
8. Classes resume where they were until a modified schedule is sent out and an announcement is made.
9. Day continues.
Estimated length of disruption: 1-2 hours
This is what actually happens:
1. A blocked number shows up on the main line for the school. Ms. K or Ms. P picks up the phone.
2. A kid disguises their voice and says that there is a bomb in the school.
3. Everyone with a radio is notified that we must evacuate the building.
4. The fire alarm is pulled.
5. (Most) teachers pack up their bags and grab their belongings, students are asked to finish the sentence or assignment they're on. Students start yelling and acting like there is a legitimate threat of the building blowing up. The teacher continues to pack their things as students walk out of the classroom unescorted.
6. Security is rushing kids down the hall, telling them to go to the bleachers.
7. When outside, students wander around the football field until herded like cattle by the teachers onto the far bleachers, where there is no shade from the unrelenting sun.
8. 70% of teachers watch their students go into the stands, then sit/stand on the field and chat with their colleagues.
9. 30% of teachers go into the bleachers and sit with their students or occupy a section that does not have any adults.
10. Deans/administration stand in the middle of the football field, facing the bleachers, speaking over the radio about whether everyone is accounted for or not.
11. While waiting on the bleachers for the SWAT team to arrive and clear the building, at least 2 fights break out, where the teachers who are sitting in the stands are the ones to continually break them up. Administrative support arrives after the fight has been mostly broken up and take the offending students off the bleachers.
12. A few more teachers go down to the field as they do not feel like breaking up fights.
13. A teacher or two comes onto the bleachers and positions themselves in sections where adults may be needed.
14. Students become restless and begin leaving the bleachers, first in small groups, and walking towards the gate to try and leave (which is supposed to be locked).
15. As students on the bleachers notice those students who have left the bleachers are not being stopped because adults are busy talking, a mass exodus occurs, with 70-80% of the students leaving the bleachers and attempting to leave the school.
16. Adults attempt to keep these kids back, but fail, as the masses are stronger and don't seem to care about pushing authority, and ultimately step out of the way to avoid injury.
17. The students who are left on the bleachers wait until the administration has deemed it ok to re-enter the building, then go back to their classes.
18. Teachers re-enter the building and go to their classrooms.
19. Classes resume where they were until a modified schedule is sent out and an announcement is made.
20. Day continues with around 100-200 students left in the building.
Actual length of disruption: 2-4 hours (depending on the day)
There are many things that are mind blowing about this scenario....
Let's start with that this happened 3 days in a row. Monday - Wednesday. Thursday came around and I started carrying a Bomb Threat Bag (BTB) because I had 4 meetings on Thursday that had to happen. I told the Cluster Team if there was a bomb threat that I was going out the FRONT door and holding my meetings on the street. They understood.
Second, if you know that blocked numbers are calling in bomb threats, why are you continuing to pick up the phone? This happens every year... Live and learn. It took until Thursday for the school to stop picking up blocked numbers.
Third, let's revisit where adults were during this entire scenario. I have many ideas for how to strategically place adults during such events as to prevent ANY fights from breaking out. None of these ideas were implemented as I was clearly told, "We need to be on the field so we can see what's going on in the bleachers." But... if you were in the bleachers there wouldn't be anything to see.... you could use your radios to communicate what's going on. "No, but then we wouldn't have a clear picture of what was going on and where we needed to be." Oh, of course. My mistake...?
My final point will be focused on the mass exodus of students. To be honest... I have no words for this symbol of incompetency. I feel the image says it all...
Just another week in DCPS.
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