SAFETY CALENDAR 1

Safety Calendar

Joshua D. Winn

College of Education, Grand Canyon University

EAD-536-O500

Dr. Nesa Sasser

June 21, 2023

SAFETY CALENDAR 2

Monthly Fire Drills:

 Tuesday, August 15th at 10:00am

 Tuesday, September 19th at 11:00am

 Tuesday, October 10th at 10:30am

 Tuesday, November 14th at 1:30pm

 Tuesday, December 12th at 2:00pm

 Tuesday, January 9th at: 2:30pm

 Tuesday, February 13th at 3:00pm

 Tuesday, March 12th at 1:00pm

 Tuesday, April 9th at 2:00pm

 Tuesday, May 14th at 10:00am

The times of the drills throughout the year were chosen to accommodate the weather patterns in

Southwest Florida. The morning time was chosen for August through October’s drills because of

the rainy season; there are thunderstorms just about every day in the afternoon. Drills were

chosen in the afternoon November through April because the temperature outside is less hot and

it is not as humid. Additionally, rainy season is over so there isn’t the risk of weather delays.

Finally, the drill in May will be conducted in the morning because it can be 90 degrees or

warmer in the afternoon during this time of year and it is the start of rainy season. Due to our

school size of 1,600+ students along with safety issues, our school does not do spontaneous drills

(i.e. blocking routes, during lunch time, etc). Instead, we conduct fire drills while everyone is in

class to ensure a higher degree of order and safety as students evacuate the building. Following

our district policy, teachers will take an attendance roster and their safety folders with them, as
SAFETY CALENDAR 3

well as follow the designated evacuation route that corresponds with their classroom. They will

take attendance when outside to ensure all students made it safety out of the building.

Quarterly Lockdown Drills:

 Quarter 1 Drill: Thursday, August 17th at 10:00am

 Quarter 2 Drill: Thursday, November 16th at 11:00am

 Quarter 3 Drill: Thursday, January 11th at 1:00pm

 Quarter 4 Drill: Thursday, April 11th at 2:00pm

Prior to the drill, we make an announcement to inform students and staff that it is only a drill.

Then, we activate the lockdown alarm which causes a red light in each classroom and activates a

robotic voice that repeatedly says “this is a lockdown.” Students and staff are to cover their door

windows with a black drape that is rolled up above the windows. They are also to turn off all

lights, close the blinds, and shut their Chromebooks to limit light in the room. Lastly, they are to

hide in a corner of the classroom away from the door and be quiet during the drill. The

administrative team, security, and school resource officer go class-to-class and ensure the doors

are locked and the classroom has followed instruction. I chose two drills in the morning during

1st and 3rd period and two drills in the afternoon during 7th and 9th period. This ensures the drills

do not interfere with lunch and last period which is when we prepare for dismissal procedures.

One Full Year Evacuation:

 Thursday, May 23rd at 10:00am

My school conducts one full evacuation drill per year. Students and staff will be required to exit

the building using their designated route found in their safety folders. For full evacuations,

students and staff are to follow their routes to the field that is on our campus and away from the

school building. Like the fire drill, they are to bring an attendance roster with them so they can
SAFETY CALENDAR 4

take attendance once they have evacuated the building. Parents would be notified of such an

evacuation through our school messenger application as well as through an email sent by the

principal or school representative.

Training for Teachers:

Teachers will go through training during the preschool week where they will go over drill

procedures and their safety folders that are hanging in each classroom. Their preschool checklist

will have a requirement for teachers to print class rosters to put in their safety folders. Following

each drill, teachers will receive a school wide email about the drill that includes areas to

celebrate and areas of focus for our next drill. There will be a reminder to reprint class rosters for

the next drill. Additionally, teachers have until October 31st of each year to complete required

computer-based trainings to go over safety information as required by the school district.

Revisiting/Debriefing After Each Drill:

After each drill, the appropriate teams will gather to debrief about the drill and discuss data and

findings. For instance, during fire drills, the administrative team will gather to debrief. For

lockdown and full evacuation drills, the administrative team, security team, and school resource

officer will gather to debrief. The debriefing meetings will go over how long it took to evacuate

the building, areas we saw to celebrate, and areas we could improve on. For instance, did a

teacher forget to put their window covering down? Then, the principal will send a school wide

email to faculty and staff to go over relevant data for teachers, areas to celebrate, and areas of

focus we can improve on for our next drill.

Rationale

The safety calendar was developed based on my observations of recent drills, my

interview with the assistance principal in charge of conducting drills, and my knowledge of
SAFETY CALENDAR 5

school and district policy and guidelines regarding school drills. When developing the calendar, I

attempted to be mindful of the weather as our heat and potential for lightning and thunderstorms

during parts of the year can pose health and safety concerns for our students and staff. Our

school mission is to provide a safe, respectful and rigorous learning community to ensure

students reach their highest potential. The calendar that was developed aligns with our school

mission by ensuring a safe environment where students and staff know what is expected of them

during times of crisis or emergencies. Additionally, safety was upheld by providing a process

and structure for teachers and students to follow. Lastly, the school calendar and processes were

respectful of our school district policy and guidelines to ensure order and safety during drills. A

school and its staff have a moral obligation to protect students within the building. As

aforementioned, processes were developed so teachers know exactly what to do to ensure student

safety. For example, teachers know and are trained to use and update their safety folders that

contains attendance rosters and a map showing which route they are supposed to use to evacuate

the building during fire drills and full evacuations. A school also has a legal obligation from the

state to conduct a certain amount of drills per year. While this assignment required that I create

quarterly lockdown drills, the State of Florida requires that lockdown drills are conducted as

often as fire drills are required by the Florida Fire Prevention Code. This means Florida schools

have lockdown drills each month to ensure students and staff are trained and prepared for any

real-life crisis event. As a future school administrator, I plan to follow a similar calendar to what

I created. I believe this will ensure I am ensuring the students and staff in my school are prepared

for the potential for real life events and know what is expected of them.