Today, SPA tried out a new type of lockdown drill, called Shelter in Place. This drill was a closed campus; it’s not like a regular lockdown drill. The essence of it was that the students must stay on campus and not leave the building. Normally, lockdown drills are when students are locked in their classrooms in the dark, waiting until the drill is over. Shelter in Place prioritizes locking out intruders rather than locking ourselves in. 

Many students really enjoyed this type of drill. “I didn’t even realize that there was a drill,” said junior Senai Assefa. “It was so much calmer than the regular drills.”

Leaving campus normally isn’t allowed, so for many, this drill was no different from a general school day. However, since seniors have off-campus privileges—they’re allowed to leave campus if they don’t have class—it’s a bit more complicated. Dean Thornberry clarified these complications with an email. “If you are already off-campus and at home, please do not return to campus until 9:45 am,” Thornberry said. 

This lockdown was a practice drill; it was to test if this different system would work properly. 

These types of drills, Shelter in Place, could be a good alternative to traditional drills since they are less extreme and disruptive. “I would rather all lockdown drills to be like this,” said junior Anthony Chen. 

The closed campus lockdown drill was at 9:15 am on March 3.