Eagle Era

Students respond to lockdown procedure at school

By Josiah Loftin

While AHS follows the standard FUSD lockdown procedures during safety drills conducted throughout the school year, a recent lockdown drill in FLEX on January 14th has prompted discussions among students and staff about whether the current approach should remain unchanged or expand to include alternative safety procedures.

Lockdown drills at AHS typically require students to remain inside classrooms while teachers secure doors and wait for further instruction. For most students, the drills are familiar and routine rather than alarming. 

Yet, some students think that the drills are not effective. Royce Magallanes (11) said, “I don’t really feel like these drills are doing anything. They’re not enforcing safety, and we’re just going through the motions.”       

Many believe lockdown drills are important, but some feel that the current process focuses more on following directions than on preparing for different types of emergencies. “Every time there’s a drill, we’re expected to just stay inside and be quiet. I think we should be running away from the danger and not staying inside,” said Chealsie Nguyen (11).

Some students would rather see AHS implement the full “run, hide, and fight” protocol rather than just the protocol about hiding. “It’d be smart to do different types of drills so we as a school are prepared for different types of situations,” said Ciara Yuhas (11).

Students also argue that these drills have been around for a long time and are predictable. “It’s stupid because school shooters have been through the exact same drills before; they know our methods because they’ve been through them before,” said Juan Pineda (10).

Another common complaint is that some students do not take these drills seriously. Yasmeen Nekrawesh (11) said, “I remember during the earthquake drill at the start of the year, people were talking, giggling, and just scrolling on their phones instead of actually practicing for the drill. That’s scary because what if it actually happens?” 

“When I was in PE during a shelter-in-place drill, my teachers didn’t care. The teachers were just chatting and not actually going through the drills. I thought that was pretty crazy to be honest,” said Sebastian Montano (10).

Some expressed that they are grateful to live in a mostly safe city with low crime. “I’m glad I live in Fremont because I hardly ever worry about super bad crimes happening. If I lived anywhere else with these drills I’d probably feel less safe,” said Shrina Shi (11).

The possibility of a new phone ban next year due to a new state law does nothing to ease student fears about campus safety. “The phone ban concerns me because what if there’s an emergency, and we can’t contact our parents? That seems dangerous to me,” said Dominic Sanchez (10).

While the current FUSD lockdown procedure provides consistency, many students believe that adapting drills to a wider range of scenarios could help better prepare the school. Whether that means incorporating alternative safety strategies or reinforcing the seriousness of the drills, the conversation highlights a shared goal—ensuring that everyone on campus feels safe.