HATFIELD — Students, staff and teachers at Hatfield Elementary School are getting skills in keeping themselves and others safe by practicing for both lockdowns and shelter in place should such orders be necessary.
School Principal Melissa Pitrat told the School Committee at its Dec. 14 meeting that the efforts began last month with state police troopers offering a slideshow to staff, followed by a scheduled drill at the building.
The next drill will be organized more organically, coming in January and not being announced in advance, with a final drill set for April.
Pitrat explained that the work is about keeping those at the school safe.
“Ideally what happens during this is to replicate a staff member sees or hears something that they feel could be somewhat problematic, and just erring on the side of caution signals a lockdown drill,” Pitrat said.
Part of the training includes a recess lockdown that is only done with the upper grade students. Pitrat said all students, though, understand why a lockdown is being done, and to minimize anxiety for the younger students, their lockdown is done in their classrooms.
While there has been an increase in ALICE active shooter training across the region, with some elements teaching students to fight back against an attacker, Pitrat said the training in Hatfield only teaches that one adult needs to be near a door to close it, and to be holding an object.
State police, she said, do not want students or teachers practicing to throw things.
“We are not at this point asking students to arm themselves with any type of object and begin throwing it,” Pitrat said.
More details about the need for lockdowns and shelter in place are included in the student handbook, which is being revised to elaborate on situations that would call for such action.
Superintendent Michael Wood said the schools will also be scheduling a safety training with the town’s police and fire chiefs. He said there is concern about the ALICE practice of people running out of a building in a scattered manner.
“One of the things we’re doing is a much more controlled environment,” Wood said.
Wood said the preference is for people to exit a building with more firm direction from officers in control of the scene, and to use a radio system for decisions. The school has labeled all exits for the buildings.
Teachers and staff in the school buildings, Wood said, need to be trained in the power they have to handle an emergency.
“It’s really important that adults know what to do,” Wood said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
