How do you handle a situation where you find your child in covid lockdown? There are many possible scenarios that can arise with children who are in this type of situation. They need your help to ensure they are safe and secure at all times. Here are some of the things to do in covid lockdown.
Know the Procedure – A locking system at a public school is not the same as a private school lockdown. A public school will have a police officer or security guard in place at all times. With private schools, there will be a staff member or employees who will be in charge of locking down the children. Your job is to make sure the child is never alone or without supervision while in school.
Know what to do if a child does enter lockdown – Once your child has fallen into lockdown, he or she will need time to fall out of it. A child who is allowed to fall out of lockdown too many times will most likely be suspended from school. You can talk with the school about adding emergency contact hours so you can get a call if the child needs you to come home right away. If the emergency contact hours aren’t enough, call the police.
Ensure everyone gets out safely – Upon entering lockdown, everyone should get out of the room except the teacher. Then get everyone out of the room except the teacher. The teacher should tell the alarm company what to do and to send help if the school does have an emergency. It is also wise to have the phone number of an adult who can get in touch with the authorities, such as the police. When the lockdown is over, check with the emergency contact that you made when you entered the room.
Remain calm – Administrators will try their best to keep children calm during lockdowns. However, as parents, we have to remain calm as well. The administrator may be asking for the children to go home. Don’t be afraid to tell the children to go home. In some situations, a conversation between a parent and a child can break the ice and keep a peaceful environment.
Remain inside the classroom – Even though lockdowns are supposed to be temporary, you still don’t want the children to be out of the building. This way, you can monitor what happens to the children and let the school know what is going on. As a parent, you can also let the school know that you have children in the classroom and the situation there. Most schools have zero tolerance for school disruptions caused by dangerous students. Once the lockdown is over, the children can go home.
Continue to keep contact with the children – Ask the custodian what to do in case of a lockdown. He or she may recommend that you send the children to another location or that you go home and wait. It is up to you to decide what to do. In some situations, a custodian may have a plan for relocating you to a different school building at a later date.
Communicate with your child – It is very important to remain calm during a lockdown. Many children panic when they are left alone, especially if there is no one to talk to. To get your child to calm down, be sure to give him his or her space. Once the lockdown has ended, you will be able to discuss what happened with your child. This will help him or her understand why administrators ordered him or her to be locked down.
