Students at Tahquamenon Area Schools (TAS) spent a short amount of time in “hold” status on November 7. A threat that read “ILL shoot up the school” had been discovered written on a toilet paper dispenser in the boys’ bathroom. School administration announced the “hold” in an online post. Authorities investigated and could not confirm whether the writing was new; the school day resumed as normal.
Hold is one of five new directives the district will issue when an urgent situation arises. The other directives are secure, lockdown, evacuate, and shelter. Here’s how those are used.
Hold is the instruction given when students and staff need to stay in their rooms and leave the hallways clear.
When an order to “secure” is given, teachers, students, and staff stay in the school and outside doors are locked.
Lockdown instructions require teachers to close and lock their classroom door, and everyone in the class is supposed to stay out of view from any door or window.
Evacuate orders are given when building occupants need to move to a different building or a different part of the building.
Finally, shelter instructions are given when external conditions are unsafe – tornado, chemical spill, earthquake, etc.
The move to these five simple instructions is a new approach for TAS. It follows the protocol set by the I Love U Guys Foundation, a non-profit organization founded the parents of Emily Keyes after she died in a 2006 school shooting in Bailey, Colorado.
