Fire drills are performed once a month. Lockdown drills and tornado drills are performed once a semester. But never has a total evacuation drill been performed. A total evacuation drill is scheduled for April 8. Teachers are required to lead students from the school to the football field.
The evacuation plan was first created by Principal Dan Cummings. After putting much effort into his research, Cummings gathered enough information to make a flipbook, which each teacher in the building has a copy of near their classroom telephones. Every year, the administrators gather together to update the policies.
“We review this with the teachers every year,” Cummings said. “But obviously, there’s a lot that goes into it that you’re not going to remember and things that you’re going to want to look at, because there’s a lot that goes on. So basically, how this thing came about is researching and best practices to help protect my kids.”
Although the district has prepared an evacuation policy, Cummings is concerned that a power outage may be possible during any catastrophic event.
“I want them to all have their own copy,” Cummings said. “It should be by their phones, so that way, if there’s a substitute, they can look as well.”
The decision for the evacuation drill was made by Assistant Principal Jeff Dorman, who continues to make improvements on the evacuation procedure. The first place of evacuation is to the football field, where students will be seated along with their classmates under teacher supervision. In the event that it is impossible to enter the football field, the second place of evacuation is to the Freeman Hieghts Baptist Church, which was chosen due to its proximity of the school. The church is located near Bussey Middle School.
“Mr. Dorman has asked the teachers to be sure that on April 8, that [they] have already talked about the area by the football field where they’re going to be and let the kids know they are responsible,” Cummings said. “The kids can’t run to another friend. They have to stay with their teacher.”
In the event that there is a bomb threat or students are exposed to hazardous chemicals, total evacuation may be necessary. Although Cummings says it is rare for such cases to ever happen, it is necessary to be prepared in advance.
“The total evacuation drill to a different location is the most chaotic,” Cummings said. “We have to have some kind of check-out procedure so we know where our kids are going and that they’re all being checked out to the right person because you [all] are our number one responsibility.”
During such unexpected circumstances, parents will be notified to pick up their children. However, the dismissal plan is exactly the same in all lockdowns. Parents will be required to show their ID.
“This is going to be the first year we’ve ever done a total evacuation drill,” Cummings said. “Mr. Dorman is taking on a huge challenge with this. I think it’s extremely important [to practice] just so it becomes second nature on what to do. Otherwise there’s panic, uncertainty, just like anything. It’s always good to get a little better when it doesn’t matter. When it matters is when we want to be perfect.”