Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, July 9, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - More NWT schools than ever have lockdown plans in place.

A recent survey by the Northwest Territories Teachers' Association (NWTTA) found 92 per cent of schools had lockdown plans during the just-ended school year.

That was a major improvement from the previous year when an earlier survey showed 37 per cent of schools had lockdown plans.

The RCMP is working with school staffs across the NWT to practise school-based lockdown plans. So far, 48 per cent of schools have had at least one practice.

"The NWTTA believes strongly in a proactive approach to making our schools safer," said association president Amanda Mallon. "Schools need to have emergency plans in place."

Along with the RCMP, the association is working with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to promote lockdown planning.

"We have been working on this to make sure it's done," Mallon said, noting it was one of her priorities when she became association president three years ago.

She explained lockdown planning was prompted by a number of incidents in the South, including the shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado and at Dawson College in Montreal.

"It's intended to be a proactive tool we hope we never have to use, much like fire drills," she said.

The teachers' association plans to conduct another survey during the next school year.

A lockdown is basically a system in which students go to the nearest classrooms and stay there while a dangerous incident exists. If a dangerous situation occurs near a school, students will be kept in the building until it is safe to leave.

During the next school year, there are some challenges to be addressed in creating lockdown plans throughout the NWT, such as open concept school sites, resources for small communities, and co-ordination in larger centres with multi-school sites.

"Police officers will have blueprints, aerial photos and safety information for all RCMP policed schools at their fingertips," said Sgt. Larry O'Brien, the media relations officer with 'G' Division. "These tools will better prepare law enforcement and other agencies to respond to emergency situations."