Sivan Livnat
“Safety First, Safety First, Safety First,” blared the intercom through the school’s halls, marking the beginning of the first “Safety Drill” of this current school year. Previously known as a lockdown drill, the terminology was deliberately changed due to a number of reasons, “including positive messaging, mental health concerns, and new COVID-related connotations of the word lockdown,” High School Judaic Studies Instructional Team Leader Rabbi Allan Houben explained in an email to students before the lockdown drill.
Similar to previous years, the safety drill followed a strict protocol to ensure student safety. These protocols included — but were not limited to — silencing cell phones, turning off the lights, moving to a specified location dependent on which classroom students were in at the time, remaining silent throughout the drill, and following any additional instructions given by faculty.
Unlike previous drills, the Sandy Springs Police Department did not come to inspect the drill. Rather, several staff members walked around the school, knocking on doors and testing out the effectiveness of the drill. Students were told not to respond to any of the knocks and to keep quiet until the drill ended.
Finally, the approximately 15-minute long drill concluded with an announcement from the speakers: “Safety first is over.” With that message, students were able to return to their normal classroom positions and continued on with their day.
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