With more school shootings occurring throughout the nation, the District Crisis Committee reviewed the lockdown procedure and decided to make a few changes. The new procedure is similar to the previous one, with the same three options given in the event of an intruder: run, hide and fight. Rather than just hiding and waiting, the new procedure puts a little more emphasis on interfering a little with an attacker’s plan.

        “Gone are the days of hunkering down and hiding. When you are passive, you become an easier target, but when you disrupt, you break the attacker’s train of thought,”  principal Brent Harrell said.

In the event of a lockdown, teachers are still to lock the doors and turn off the lights while students hide and stay quiet. Classes are then to adjust further plans depending on the classroom they are in. In addition to hiding, the class should try to block the door with a desk if possible, or use something as simple as a chair for defense if the intruder makes it into the room.

        “Being aware is an important part and being more realistic,” social studies teacher Craig Frederick said. “At first I thought, ‘it’s just Conway, it won’t happen here,’ but then looking on past events, we need to be prepared and aware.”

        Each classroom procedure will be different, depending on where you are at and your possibilities. For example, students in the art room might leave the school if needed through the exit in the room. Another scenario would be students in the shop using hammers and other tools for defense. A practice drill was held on Tuesday, April 10, explaining to the students the new changes. Teachers were asked to spend a few minutes at the beginning of each hour that day to specify plans for that particular classroom.

        “I feel it’s an emotional thing,” junior Mariah Morris said. “It helps us feel better, but you can’t prepare for something you don’t know whether or not it’ll happen.”