on the new(-ish) WPS school safety

You may have seen that WPS has updated their school safety protocols. 
(This actually happened, as families and staff may remember, back in the spring, but it didn't get the same public side launch.)

It delineates what we expect staff and students to do in various situations that happen in schools: 

• Hold: Stay in your classroom and keep the hallways clear, but instruction can continue. 
• Secure: Exterior doors to the school are locked, and outdoor activities are halted, but classroom instruction can continue. 
• Lockdown: Students and staff are ordered to lock their classroom or office doors and to stay out of sight. 
• Evacuate: People are moved from one location to a different location either inside or outside the building. 
• Shelter: There is a significant threat. Students/staff are ordered to lock doors, hide, and barricade rooms if necessary. 

When we first got the information back in the spring about the I Love You Guys protocols we were switching to, my first thought was "WAIT, this makes SENSE." That's in marked contrast to the previous ALICE emphasis, which required that we traumatize all involved by training ONLY for a school shooter scenario. Those are awful, but also rare. There are many other things that happen in schools that require staff and student response, most of which are NOT traumatizing, but warrant practices. In the process, we still are practicing responses for the worst cases. 

A marked improvement!