Unadilla Valley CSD held its first lockdown drill on Thursday, Oct. 20. This will be the only announced lockdown drill for this school year. Future lockdown drills will be conducted, and families will be notified after the lockdown drill is completed.
Drills are an important first step in keeping Unadilla Valley CSD students and staff safe. The district follows protocols which allow administrators, staff and students to mitigate, prepare for and recover from a variety of incidents.
Throughout the course of the school year, the district conducts announced and unannounced drills to ensure that our students and staff understand what they need to do in case of an emergency. While the drills are required by the state, they are also an important aspect of the district’s safety plan. We’d like to thank our students and staff for their cooperation during all of our safety drills and for recognizing the importance of taking each one seriously. The definitions of the drills are listed below, in case you would like to continue the conversation at home.
Evacuation drill – during an evacuation drill, commonly referred to as a fire drill, students and staff practice exiting a building as quickly as possible and in an organized fashion.
Lockout drill – during a lockout drill, the school day continues as normal; students and staff move about the building as usual. It is used to secure school buildings and grounds during incidents that pose an imminent concern outside of the school. Generally speaking, the school building is always in “lockout” since all entrances are always locked.
Shelter in place drill – Students and staff remain inside the building; students in hallways return to assigned classrooms and move away from windows. This is typically weather related.
Hold in place drill – Students and staff remain inside the building; students in hallways return to assigned classrooms and move away from windows. This is typically used when medical emergencies are present.
Lockdown drill – during a lockdown drill, students and staff practice clearing the hallways, locking doors and taking positions out of sight as quickly as possible.