[blparent] Lockdown Drill at School

[Star Gazer]

I don't know what value would be gained by letting parents know of a lock
down drill. You can't do anything about them. Drills have been going on in
schools since the 1950's, duck and cover comes to mind. 
Getting back to Sarah's fears, I don't think there has ever been a time when
kids haven't worried about their parents, especially their moms.  I was
reading an autobiography of Beverly Cleary, and she wrote about the time a
man from the telephone company came to school to tell the kids that the
whole town was rolling off of the operator based phone system to a dial tone
system.  He explained what would happen, and demonstrated how phone calls
were to be made.  He explained that men from the phone company were going
around to the schools and businesses to show everybody the new rules. What
he didn't mention were the mothers at home. Beverly was terrorfied that some
strange man would take her mom's phone away, install the new one, and then
just leave without explaining to her mom what she had to do in order to make
a phone call. She worried that something bad would happen and without
Beverly being there, her mom wouldn't be able to get the help she needed.
>From what I remember, the transition took a few weeks, and during that time
Beverly kept a close eye on the old phone, and she worried. When she got
home from school one day and discovered the new phone she cried. Her mom
explained that she had been shown how to use the phone and all was well.
Beverly did say she always wondered why the man who came to the school
didn't assure the children that their mothers wouldn't be forgotten in the
transition. 
For you, J.e., I'd explain to your daughter that you'd know what to do if
what she worries about happens. You have a good head on your shoulders, and
you have access to 911. I don't know that I'd bring school councelors into
this, though I'd bet they already know. 
I will add that my daughter's teacher asked all the parents what their kids
are afraid of when school started. She said she wouldn't do anything with
the information in terms of school records, but she did want to know so that
she could be careful in some of the comments she made while teaching. The
Scout leader asked the same question. 
I'd just listen to what Sarah has to say, validate her feelings (there's a
reason home security systems are so obtainable) and let her know you're a
pretty smart cookie. 

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jo
Elizabeth Pinto
Sent: Sunday, January 12, 2014 12:25 AM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] Lockdown Drill at School

I suppose I can see why parents shouldn't be told ahead of time.  Some of
them would give their children a heads up,, even if they were asked not to. 
It would be natural to want to shield them or warn them.  But I can't see
what it would hurt to notify parents afterward.  Heck, the school sends out
e-mails and automatic phone calls to notify parents when kids should wear
Bronco colors or pajamas for School Spirit Days, for goodness sake; it's not
that hard to do.

Jo Elizabeth

Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may
kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at
evening.--Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
-----Original Message-----
From: Jennifer Bose
Sent: Saturday, January 11, 2014 10:00 PM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] Lockdown Drill at School

JoElizabeth, it sounds like you're handling this in the best way you can. My
own head's spinning as I read this thread. My children aren't in K-12 yet,
so I don't know, but why doesn't the school just let parents know ahead of
time that there's going to be a lock-down drill?
A lot of this would have been better understood if they had. I'm of the
opinion that there probably needs to be some type of drill to deal with this
terrifying possibility, even though it doesn't happen as often as a fire
would. Maybe it seems futile, and the trainings have to evolve into
something that would prevent the loss of more lives, but I just think we
have to be aware that there are people who want to commit these horrible
crimes. A friend of mine lost her nephew in the Newtown shooting, and I
spent much of my childhood one town over from there, so my concern is
colored by all that.

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