Districts tread a delicate line in planning for when lockdown separates kids from parents

Tuesday, April 01, 2003 • BY JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff

When Montgomery schools asked at the start of the Iraqi war that each child bring in a favorite snack and a blanket in case of a lockdown of their school, a few parents did one better.

THE SCHOOLSSo tucked in the cubbyholes of the Village Elementary School that serves the township's youngest pupils, slipped into the "crisis kits," are short notes that the parents hope will never have to be read.

"There is no reference point for any of this; we're in new territory," said school Principal Barbara Sargent. "But in case something does happen, it is sure to be comforting."

The 13-day-old war has put the nation's schools in a delicate position as they plan for the worst. And nothing is more sensitive than in their planning for school lockdowns, a move aimed to protect the children but also effectively separating them from their parents.

There is no one template for such actions, say education and law enforcement officials. For most schools, extra food and water have become staples. Virtually all have requested families provide extra medications for children who need them. All agree full communication is essential.

But the differences emerge in whether and how to conduct lockdown drills. At one elementary school in East Hanover, they prefer not to even use the word.

And touching nerves on all sides, a few districts have been forthright in warning parents that in case of a Code Red, the highest level of national alert, parents may not be able to pick up their children at all for extended periods of time.

"It is a very difficult thing for all of us," said Glenn Tillou, the Union County superintendent who is overseeing much of that county's planning. "I myself have gotten calls saying, 'How can you lock up my kid for three days?'

"Obviously that is not our intent. But we also don't know what a Code Red will bring. Schools are walking a very delicate line," he said.

Ever since the school shootings of the late 1990s, lockdowns have become a common option in school planning. As with fire drills, the state now requires every district to have provisions at least on paper to secure the building and keep children and staff inside.

The need for a plan became even more apparent after Sept. 11, 2001, and now the war with Iraq, as the threat of terrorist attack and biological weapons gave every town and especially so-called "soft targets" like schools a renewed sense of vulnerability.

"One of the things we learned from 9/11 is the last thing we want to do is put students on the street without knowing what they will face," said Maria Nuccetelli, the Passaic County superintendent.

Montgomery has been among the more aggressive school districts, sending home a letter on March 18 -- the night President Bush announced the war was at hand -- that asked families to put together the "crisis kits" for each child to bring into school. Included should be food and drink, and a "light blanket that could be rolled up or compressed for easy storage."

Within hours, parents called with concerns that the school was thinking of holding onto their child in the case of an emergency. Jack Rotter, assistant to the district's superintendent, took the bulk of the calls.

"But I must say all but one or two understood what we were doing after I explained it to them," he said. "It's not something any of us want to do."

Lisa Roe got the letters with her two daughters, one in first grade and the other in third. "It is so scary, so sad that we live in a time when this is even a possibility," Roe said.

But her parental instinct also said that in case of an emergency, she would do all she could to be with her children anyway, "even if it means breaking the rules."

Other schools have their own ways of handling such events. For younger pupils, schools typically don't do lockdown drills, but may practice them with staff.

At the Frank Smith School in East Hanover, teachers and administrators avoid the word lockdown entirely, preferring "storm drills" and alluding to inclement weather such as hurricanes and tornadoes.

"At this age level, I don't use the term because it puts a lot of fear out there where it doesn't have to be," said Christopher Judge, principal of the 330-pupil elementary school.

With older students, administrators can be more candid, but only up to a line. Montclair High School conducts lockdown drills, but also has noticed students more on edge lately. It didn't help that the school had a run of bomb scares a couple of weeks ago, right as the war began.

"We've had drills where they are clearly drills, but others where you're not so sure, and there are some kids who definitely get scared," said MaryAnn DeRosa, a psychologist at the high school. "The war has definitely terrified some kids."