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The Day The Shooting Happened: How Outside Events Affect Schools and How You Should Respond
It was honestly a normal day, nothing out of the ordinary. Students were going about their days, PE was almost over, and parents were starting to pull up to pick up their children.
We prepared to start releasing students; in fact, we were in the middle of walking students to cars as the police started arriving. There was no warning, no call to the school that anything huge was amiss.
So, life went on. We found out later that it was, indeed, a shooting, and someone had been killed. We were floored. How could this happen in our little corner of our quiet town?
What To Do In Case Of An Emergency
First off, STAY CALM. Staying calm is the most important thing any adult can do. When you are calm, you are thinking clearly and can proceed with rational thoughts and actions.
Secondly, figure out where the safe areas are in your location and proceed to ensure that doors are locked, and the atmosphere is still calm. You may need to have a story in place to tell everyone. This ensures that no one is scared and that everyone is proceeding as normally as possible. Games, phones, and friends are a great distraction. Soft music can help relieve some of the tension.
