- So when there is a lockdown,
do they tell you if it's a drill?
- No, not at first,
so that you actually know
how to deal with it, - Yeah.
- if it's a drill or not.
Hm.
(light melodic music)
- I'm Sienna.
- And I'm Jen.
- I'm Melanie.
- I'm Princess, her Mom.
- Oh yeah, a lockdown drill.
- Actually, you're gonna explain to me
what a school lockdown is.
- What typically prompts your school
to go into lockdown mode?
- If a person's trying to harm the teachers or the kids.
- A lockdown is usually an outside threat
or someone is in the school,
but usually it's someone in the neighborhood.
- We're locking down for someone like around the area,
that could be like dangerous.
- So when there is a dangerous person,
that comes in the school, what do you guys do?
- The principal will make an announcement
and then my teacher will start telling us,
"Go in the closet".
We usually like hide in there and she would hide with us.
- Really? - Yeah.
- Isn't that scary? - Yeah.
- We had to go into the corner
and then she like closed all the lights,
all the blinds, locked all the doors.
- Students help pull down the curtains
and then we all like hide under some desks
and then we stay quiet.
- And then that's when the teacher counts the students
and then sends a email to the principal,
saying that we have all our kids in the class.
- Okay.
- Why do you think you do all the things you do
like pull down the shades, lock the door?
- Because someone dangerous or something dangerous
could be in the school.
- How big is the closet,
that you guys are supposed to hide in?
- It's just like a little, small row, that we can fit in.
- So how many students again are in your class?
- 16.
- I don't, I don't think it's a good idea.
Are you guys, you're supposed to be quiet
and be in the closet,
so they don't think that you're in the classroom, right?
- Yeah. - Oh.
I mean, at that point I think that might be a good idea.
Like what if you're somewhere else besides your classroom,
what happens then?
- I don't know what to do.
- What do you do, like what?
Is it just over?
- I have a plan, so if I was locked down,
I would go to a bathroom, climb on the toilet
and then go through the roof,
like through the panel door thingie.
- Yeah, and then I would stay up there until it's over
and then come down, wherever I land.
- When you did the drills,
did you know why you were doing that?
- We've always known like the dangers,
like why you do a lockdown in the first place.
My experience with a lockdown
was a kid, I think, found a gun outside
and it was very dangerous, there was like police coming.
- We had to go into the corner
for like three and half hours.
- Three and half hours? - Yeah.
- In the corner? - Yeah.
- I'm surprised I don't recall,
I would think I would recall that,
like it would be a hugely intense thing,
like three and half hours,
I just feel like I don't remember knowing that.
- How do you feel about this?
- It's kind of scary to think about the fact
that you have to go through so many drills
and real lockdowns, when you're just a first grader.
I didn't have to do this when I was a kid,
we mostly did earthquake drills and fire drills.
- Did you ever have a lockdown?
- There was no such thing as a lockdown, when I was a kid.
I don't remember any school shootings,
it just wasn't a thing. - Wow.
- I mean, what do you think is at root of it?
- Maybe it's just a pattern.
Once it happens once, people are like, oh, that's an idea.
- There are like a few cases,
where the people who shot the school
were being bullied so much that they were suicidal.
So it might be that now
the atmosphere that you're in at schools is hostile
and that there's so much hate like around.
- Social media, as well. - Yeah, and social media
is a really big thing.
I'm not saying that I don't want Instagram, but.
- So, let's say that you're hanging out in the hallway,
you hear someone say, yeah, I brought my gun to school,
what would you, or what would you advise someone to do?
- Just tell someone, 'cause like even if it was a joke,
that's not really, that's like a terrible joke to make.
- No, not really, they just--
- I think 'cause they don't want kids to be scared.
- I have such a problem with that,
'cause that's so reactive and so backwards.
Instead of empowering children
to see something, say something,
we're teaching them, skip that part,
but I'm gonna teach you how to lockdown.
- How do you guys feel after you have a drill like this?
- I just want to ignore it and forget about it
and so the school be happy and go play with all my friends.
- Yeah, that's what I feel like, I forget about it.
- So do you think if you guys ever had a real lockdown,
you would be prepared?
- Yes and no.
- No, I need you to be prepared though,
'cause you guys are one of the first classrooms,
like when you go through the entrance.
- You turn and we're right there.
- Hm, hm.
- Are you guys allowed to grab your cellphones?
Are you like, and call your parents?
- You have to keep your phones
in your backpacks in our school.
- Yeah.
- If there's ever a situation, grab your cellphone
and text me just to let me know that there's an emergency.
- I want you to not call me,
call 911.
- Hm-mm.
- I'll be fine, call 911, get help, period
and be quiet.
I'd want you to be laser focused
and
keep,
I'm gonna get upset. - Oh.
- Just keep calm.
It's just a terrible thing to think of.
- Stay safe and listen,
whether it's a drill or not.
(light melodic music)
- Thank you, Mom.
- Well.
That was good.