|
October 3, 2022
Dear Parents,
Each year we practice required life safety drills designed to prepare our staff and students in the event of an emergency. Our first drills occurred on “Drill Day” and included an external evacuation (fire drill), shelter in place (tornado drill), earthquake drill, closed classroom (soft lockdown), and walk through of a hard lockdown.
This email serves as notice of our intent to perform a lockdown drill at St. Theresa School on Friday, October 14 at 9:00 am.
Representatives of the Palatine Police department will be on site for the drill and will assist in running the drill and critiquing the drill with the administration following the drill.
The drill consists of an announcement of the drill with the repeated command “lock down, lock down, lock down.” On hearing the command, teachers gather any students in the hallways, close and lock their doors and students gather in silence in a site in the classroom away from the doorway. Students in the hallways, washrooms, etc. are instructed to access the nearest classroom, hide, or exit the building, proceeding to the assembly area on the Dolan Parking Lot. The drill ends when the police officer opens the classroom door announcing that the drill is complete. The drill can last anywhere from 15-30 minutes. We will review the procedures with the students in an age appropriate manner in the days prior to the drill so the students feel confident about the purpose and procedures of the drill.
There is no question that this drill is emotionally laden and a superiorly regrettable sign of the times we live in. It is your choice to exempt your child from this drill; however, please be aware that your child will be present when we review the procedures and discuss the drill in class.
While you are making this decision, I ask you to consider both the experience the child will have during the drill and what their daily life is now and will be in the upcoming years. Students in middle school are at the mall, at Six Flags, at trainings in the high schools and clubs; as challenging as this drill is, could this drill be important to them in their life outside of STS?
If you choose to exempt your child from the drill, s/he will be moved to the gym directly prior to the drill being performed and remain with the assigned staff member during that time. Your child will return to his/her classroom once the drill is complete. During this time, your child will be provided with alternative safety education and instruction related to an active threat or active shooter event, describing what a student should do in the event of lock down incident.
If you wish to exempt your child from the lock down drill on October 14, 2022, please complete the form below by this Wednesday, October 5, 2022.
If you have any questions regarding this or any of the drill procedures, please feel free to contact me.
Mary
Mary J. Keenley
Principal
| 
