Safety Drills
As part of our ongoing review of our safety procedures, we wanted to clarify for parents the terms we use in the school to describe emergency situations. Beyond our regular fire drills, we also run drills to prepare students for “Hold and Secure” and “Lockdown” situations.
Lockdown is a response to a serious emergency situation where the threat is inside the school. In a lockdown, all students are kept within locked classrooms or safe spaces; they are moved away from all sightlines and must remain silent. No phones may be used during this time.
Hold and Secure is a response to a threat in the general vicinity of the school, but not necessarily on school property. Hold and Secure is used for situations that might include things like a gas leak or a police investigation in the neighbourhood. During Hold and Secure, all external doors are locked and staff are positioned to monitor them. Students may move about in the school during this time, but may not leave.
If you have any questions about any of the above, please contact VPs Andrew Cruikshank, Cynthia Nguyen or Principal Rob MacKinnon.