Parents need to prepare for school lockdowns, too

The back-to-school excitement has faded, and it’s time to settle into routine. For even the smallest students, that routine probably includes practicing for the worst: taking part in lockdown drills to prepare for active shooters or other intruders in school.

We parents don’t want to think about it. I know I don’t. When I happened to be in the classroom when my kindergartner had a lockdown drill, I was shaken by the huddling against the wall, the shushing, the darkened room and the ominous sound of the custodians rattling the doors to make sure they were locked. Other parents there later told me they’d held back tears. The kids, though, were largely unruffled. They’ve done this before, just as we did fire drills in our youth.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2016/09/13/parents-need-to-prepare-for-lockdown-drills-too/