A Substitute Teacher’s Guide
To Understanding
Their Role During
A Lockdown Drill In Our Schools
Providing a safe harbor where
all children are successful
The following information is not meant to frighten anyone. Beaufort
County Schools simply wants all substitute teachers to be as prepared as
possible in the event of a lockdown drill or actual emergency while you are
on a BCS campus.
What is a lockdown?
A lockdown is a procedure to shut down a campus to prevent people
from entering or leaving. During a lockdown for a drill or actual
incident, the only people entering the campus will be emergency
responders such as law enforcement, fire or rescue personnel.
Reasons a school would go into lockdown:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
A practice drill
Severe weather
Search of the campus by law enforcement
An intruder on campus
An active incident that may potentially put students and staff in
harm’s way
Staff members will not be made aware of drill exercises or campus
searches in advance. Since you will not know the difference in an
exercise or an actual event, all lockdowns must be taken seriously
and protocol should be followed.
What to do while you are in the classroom
BEFORE your school goes into a lockdown
When you first visit the classroom you are assigned to, take a
moment to review the following:
1. Locate the red and green safety cards for your classroom. There
should also be a red EMERGENCY PROCEDURES card in your
room.
2. Take a moment to become familiar with the layout of your
classroom. Notice location of windows, the number of entry doors
and other features of the room.
3. Locate the intercom button and or telephone in your classroom.
4. Locate the closest building exit.
Questions?
Contact your School Principal, Assistant Principal
or School Resource Officer
What to do WHEN your school goes into a lockdown
while you are in the classroom
When it is announced that the school is in lockdown:
1. Do not question the reason. Treat every lockdown as
a real incident!
2. Get any students or staff in the hallway into their room if they are
close to the door. If not, bring them into your classroom.
3. Immediately close and lock the classroom door and all possible
windows.
4. Close any blinds.
5. Everyone in the room needs to remain quiet.
6. Have students move away from the view of the room door or
windows as best as possible. It is preferable to seat the students
along the interior wall.
7. Using your class roll book or roster, account for all students.
8. Turn off room lights.
9. Use RED and GREEN cards to communicate with emergency
responders. Using GREEN cards means everything is okay within
the classroom. Using RED cards means emergency assistance is
needed in this room as soon as possible. You should have two
cards of both colors. Whatever color you use, one should go in
the window and the other is to be placed under the classroom
door into the hallway.
In the event an intruder enters the classroom and the office contacts
the classroom, respond “everything is fine here, we are experiencing
a code 300.”
In the event an intruder enters the classroom and begins shooting,
the teacher should instruct the students to leave the classroom. They
should be further instructed to leave the building or run to another
location that can be locked.
Beaufort County Schools
321 Smaw Road
Washington, NC 27889
www.beaufort.k12.nc.us
First Edition
September 2010