Safety in the Classroom, Emergency Procedures, and Preparedness
In class today, one of my students brought up the issue of gun violence, which made me start thinking about what our actions should be as the teacher if an emergency situation such as this were to arise. I realized that I actually had no idea what the protocol is like at Ball State, or even what notification system we have in place for emergencies.
I think this topic was briefly brought up in ID 601 last semester, but we moved on to a different topic quickly and didn’t really come up with answers. But isn’t this important to be informed about and prepared for as instructors—the person in the room who students will most likely look to for guidance in these situations? Perhaps those of you who went to Ball State during your undergrad know more about this, but I’ve never encountered any sort of training or information on this matter.
As the teacher, I feel it is a priority for my students to feel safe, whether that be feeling safe to talk about controversial issues and personal opinions or simply protection from physical danger. It’s a scary world we live in today, and students see these types of events on the news all the time. Even if it may be unlikely for one of these problems to occur in one of our classrooms, it would make me feel a lot better to be prepared—and I hope it would make my students feel safer to know I’ve prepared.
Where I went to undergrad, teachers were required to cover emergency protocol on the first day of class along with the syllabus. This included intruder protocol, the best place to hide in that particular classroom, weather situations like tornadoes, and evacuation routes for that particular building. (I don’t know if very many of the students actually listened, but at least the teacher knew what to do.) It seems even more likely that these situations would occur at Ball State, as a larger and more public university.
My undergrad also required professors to close and lock the door during class for safety measures, although I think a lot of them either forgot or just ignored this rule—at least the locking part. I was so used to this being the norm that when I first started observing my mentor’s class last semester, I found it distracting that she left the door open most of the time (the noise can be distracting sometimes, too). When I asked her about it, she said there’s no particular policy, but she usually leaves it open so that students won’t get locked out. I think it can help some students feel safer when it’s open as an easily accessible exit, especially those students who struggle with anxiety or panic attacks and may need to leave the room at any given time. But would it actually be safer to close it in case of an intruder situation?
Does anyone know what the emergency protocol is at Ball State is, or where to find it? Should this be something we address within our classrooms? Thoughts on closing doors?
This is definitely something that we should spend more time going over (I like the idea of going over it during the first day during our discussion of the syllabus, etc.); you're also right in that it would be very helpful if we actually knew what BSUs protocols were.
ReplyDeleteJessie,
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should know this stuff and maybe even have a blurb in our syllabi about it. I am reminded to ask about it when I see the red emergency buttons in the classroom, but then quickly forget when I leave campus. Do these buttons call campus police, 911, etc.? I have worked at three other universities with varying degrees of protocol, but there is usually something in place. Some have had mandatory staff and faculty training and others have had more email based safety reminders. The last place I worked had an app that was specific to campus and if you pushed it, the campus police could quickly locate you as long as you were on campus (or very close). Very important issue, but not discussed much. Thanks for bringing it up.
Jessie,
ReplyDeleteI think in our position, we are very vulnerable, as we are not always informed of typical protocols for emergency situations. Not only are we having to handle the potential of campus security, but now we are concerned about how to handle a potential closing due to illness. These are interesting and trying times for teachers and I honestly don;t know how to process things in terms of how to handle them in the classroom.
Abbie
Hey Jessie,
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great post and you bring up a lot of good questions. I know that this can be something on the minds of students and especially us as instructors who are going to be seen as the one who should know this information in an emergency situation. I know from my experience as an undergrad here that the procedure in an emergency shooter situation is to close and lock the door, shut off the lights, and move to an area of the room not visible from windows. I never had a situation where I was confronted with this, though there were two situations where I had to evacuate a building. The first time was due to a fire alarm that went off in the Arts and Journalism building. The instructor told us to line up and file out the building. Some people didn’t even grab their coats and regretted it as we stood outside in the winter cold for probably 40 minutes till we were allowed back inside.
The second occasion was in the Burkhardt building. We were evacuated due to a strange odor that seemed to be originating from one of the labs on the upper floor. I was in the hall at the time and just gathered my stuff and left. Most professors who knew about the situation ended up cancelling classes in the building for the rest of the day, since they didn’t know when the issue would be resolved. However, there wasn't really any notification that went out to students other than what professors communicated.
It was interesting to hear about what your university did in terms of this issue. I like the idea of setting aside a little time on the first day to go through emergency procedures. I am sure that students would feel more at ease at least knowing that someone knows what to do. Some of my professors would talk about emergency procedures in case of a shooter situation, but this was mainly something that would come up when a student began talking about it. The topic would also arise when students would ask what these posters were (that should be in every classroom) that detail the procedures that should be taken in different emergency situations.
In terms of the red call boxes, if there is a campus emergency (or one in a nearby neighborhood)––basically anything you would get an email or text alert about––they relay the message. So, if there is a situation where we have to go on lockdown, that’s one way we will know about it.
Hopefully this helps some.
Jessie,
ReplyDeleteThis is a topic that I wish we had learned more about as well. I went here for undergrad, and I still don't know the exact safety precautions we should be taking as students or teachers. I think that, at least in most rooms, there is an emergency preparedness packet stapled to the wall - this has emergency protocols for different dangerous situations, as well as emergency numbers to call. I'm not sure if they are in every classroom, though.
And as a teacher, I prefer to have my door closed, for noise as well as for safety. If there were an active shooter / dangerous situation happening on campus, I would maybe have a general idea of what to do, but without very specific training, I would feel underprepared. A general staff/faculty meeting on this would be helpful. Thanks for bringing this up! It's definitely a hot topic and something that will hopefully never happen, but it's important to be prepared.
Kristen
Jessie,
ReplyDeleteYes! We absolutely need to be more informed about this. Admittedly, I haven't taken the time to do my own research to see what the protocols are should there be any danger or incidents while I'm in charge of a classroom, but I definitely feel that we're uninformed within our department.
Similarly to you, I recently had this realization. The second week of school, I was in my classroom when the Friday alarm went off. I hadn't had any Friday classes at Ball State yet, so I didn't know that this was something that happened every Friday. I was alarmed, and I found myself looking for someone else to turn to to see what was going on and what I should do. My first thought was a lockdown situation. Luckily, my students knew what the alarm was and that it was routine, but it made me realize I'm unprepared for any serious situation in my classroom.
I'd love to see a day of training in the department. Maybe this is something that takes place periodically with faculty, and we haven't been made aware of this?
This is a good question to raise.
Hi Jessie!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting post. To be honest, I had not thought of things like opening or closing the doors in class, but I think it is something I should be more aware of. I usually leave the door open when I am teaching, although it is not for any particular reasons. However, I feel like students have a sense of freedom when they see the door open. I guess they would be more likely to go out if they needed it than if they saw the door close. I have closed the door only when there is a really disturbing noise that is distracting students or myself.
I have not been concerned as I should about security stuff in the classroom, but your post makes me reflect on the importance of being prepared to face unexpected events. Now, I think it would be a good idea for the Writing Program, at least, to give us some information on how it works at Ball State.
Jessie,
ReplyDeleteThis is something I worry about as well. I taught in the classroom closest to the front doors of Robert Bell, and I was constantly on edge about what would happen if a shooter entered through those doors and came into my classroom. I worry about this in my own classes as well and often find myself questioning where to sit so that my back isn't too the door but that I'm close enough to escape if I need to. Being a grad student and instructor with anxiety with the current situation of gun control is really a struggle.
As far as our students go, I'm not really sure what we're expected to do. Students typically understand and respect locking the door because they know it's done for their safety, even if they have to knock to get back into the classroom. I find this to be really the only preventative measure we can take, other than telling our students that it's something they may need to be prepared for.
I fear that a shooting could happen in my classroom and I won't be able to protect my students. I remember seeing articles and news stories on brave teachers who died so their students could live during school shootings, and I'm just not sure that can be me. I have no idea what my reaction would be, and how responsible I would feel. I hate that I even have to question what my response would be, but that's the climate we live in. I think all we can do is the best that we can.