Students School Eslpod Drills Safety Procedures Staff Fire

Most schools have "drills" (actions that are practiced and repeated many times) and safety procedures "designed" (created) to protect students, faculty, and staff in emergency situations.

In many schools, fire drills "are held" (happen) every month or two. As soon as the fire "alarms" (loud lights and noises to warn of a danger) "go off" (turn on and make a loud noise), students "line up "(stand in a long line, with each person behind another person) and "file out" (walk out of the room in a line) while the teacher counts them. They walk to a "designated" (identified ahead of time) place, usually in a large field or parking lot next to the school. Teachers and staff try to "account for all the students" (make sure they know where all the students are) and wait for the "all-clear signal" (a noise or message that lets people know the danger has passed) before re-entering the building.

In areas that "are prone to" (have a lot of; are vulnerable to) "tornados" (large, dangerous storms with wind that moves quickly in circles), schools have "severe weather drills." In these drills, students are taken to "interior" (in the inside of a building) rooms or a "basement" (a room below the surface of the earth). They are told to "crouch down" (bend their knees and fold their body down, with hands over one's head and neck).

Finally, in a "lockdown drill," teachers and students practice what they would do if a "shooter" (someone who is firing guns) came onto "campus" (all the buildings and surrounding area where a school is located). Usually, the students hide in a closet or under their desks while the teacher locks the doors and covers the windows.