You Call That a Tornado Drill?

As a kid I remember how silly the "duck and cover" stuff was. I mean, we were in a tornado. If the roof is being ripped off and debris thrown around...what were my little hands laced over my head going to do?!!! Nothing!! Like the old atomic bomb drills. Like...what is a small kid's desk going to do when an a-bomb is dropped? Nothing!!

The fact is, the IMPORTANT thing about tornado drills (or the real thing) is order, calm, and everyone accounted for. All the students in the hallway actually make everyone accounted for, very hard. It's much more orderly and calm to take children into designated safe rooms and allow them to relax. They are on top of the weather and if there was a tornado on the ground, in their path...they would have taken cover. There is no sense taking cover forever, when they have up to date information, and there is no tornado coming their way...ya know? There is a reason no one died, because we had all the information we needed.

**My last year in high school there was a tornado outbreak. We went into a designated safe room while we watched a movie. The teacher was watching the radar the entire time, and in contact with other rooms...if we needed to take action, they knew when.

My child was in duck and cover for 75 minutes yesterday. I was in the teacher's lounge with the Kindergartners and they stayed in duck and cover the whole time too. Granted, the teachers let them use the bathroom (also in the teacher's lounge) in between the two waves of storms, but otherwise, all the kids were in duck and cover. My son stayed in duck and cover so long he fell asleep!!!

I did the same thing with my daycare children. We went to the bathroom and played while we waited. I taught them the duck and cover just in case, but until I felt like we were in immediate danger, I wasn't going to keep them in an incredibly uncomfortable and scary pose.

They probably wanted them in one place so if a tornado hit they could quickly get into position.

Think about how long elementary kids, all of them, ya know the kindergartners, could actually sit in a hall in tornado position?

Sure we could pull it off for the minute of the drill but not for the time it takes for a tornado to hit. The key is being in the position when the tornado hits ya know?

We sit in our basement and watch the news while we wait. We have never been hit but if one was bearing down we would get in position in the corner.

We have 3000 kids in our high school. We squish all of them into downstairs hallways that don't have windows. It's not pleasant for anyone, but it's safe. They sit on the floor, and we have designated people watch the radar/news. Whenever we were close to the path of the tornadoes, we made them duck and cover. They weren't thrilled, but they were cooperative, especially since many of them were frightened, and they could hear the tornado sirens. We were in the hallways for 2 hours, and stayed after school for an extra 35 minutes.

I would think they were in a safe room for that because our area was on full lockdown with all schools and this was taken seriously.

My daughter (17) stayed under tables from 2:15 until about 4:30. She texted me throughout... no one went to the restroom, the police officers on campus continued checking on each room to see that the students were under tables. They were allowed to use their cell phones but no gaming or anything with noise because the teachers were on alert and on speakers to be notified if anything got worse.

It was taken very seriously in Plano and we did not have the damage like the areas to the South of us.

I'm glad your children are ok too.

We practice duck and cover here with our high school students. The last time there were weather warnings while school was taking place, students were moved to inner classroom and the gym (which is windowless), and they showed movies. The weather was watched, and teachers were told that we needed to do all we could to keep students calm (they didn't want parents risking injury coming to pick up their kids), with further instructions of duck and cover to come as needed.
:)

Our current highschool still does tornado drills, duck and cover in the halls. THe last one my daughter attended in NC had a duck and cover drill, except it wasnt' a drill. THe kids didn't find out until later that night when they got home that tornadoes were in the area.

In CA my daughter had earthquake drills, she was in 1st-3rd. We are now in VA where the earthquake hit and our house shook quite violently. My daughter was home alone. Because of those drills she knew what to do, scared as she was, she did not panic but got between the door frame in the bathroom and waited.

I would talk to the school, the principal and the teachers. HTey most likely needed to get as many kids in one place, then do the tornado drill if it really needed to be done.

I'd have to assume that the other classroom they went to was inside the building somewhere, more secure, less windows? And the movie was more to provide a calm atmosphere? Perhaps the room they were in, if not windowless, was closer to the entrance to the shelter area of the school building?

I don't think it's out of line to ask, in a winsome way, how the school prepares for tornados or any other kind of emergency drill. Our schools have drills twice a year that are "lock down" drills when all the kids are collected in one of 2 or 3 safe parts of the campus (gym, all purpose room, etc.). They drills are done just before the end of the school day with the intention of making sure that each kid is dismissed only to their emergency contact that was pre-arranged at the beginning of the year. Grade school kids are either dismissed to their parent, guardian, neighbor or other person elected by the parents - or they stay in the building until after the drill is over (if they're a walker and the parents can't come get them). At first I thought it was a pretty dumb idea, but after 9/11 (we live in a NYC suburb and my husband is a NYPD sergeant) it makes sense to have a process that the teachers and family knows how to follow to collect their kids in a time of chaos. It was used two years ago when a local bank was robbed and a weapon was discharged by the robber. It was good to know our kids weren't walking home from the middle school in to what could have been a bad situation.

I'm so old that we used to have A-bomb drills. As if sitting in the hallways or under our desks with our head between our knees was going to help if a nuclear bomb was dropped on NYC... I guess it was closer to a prayer position anyway. ;o)

At my son's school, the third grade was put in an empty classroom as well. They had to stay in duck and cover for fifty minutes. He was upset when he got home because it was painful to stay cramped like that so long. He never wants to do that again!

Maybe that specific classroom was a designated tornado shelter, built to different specifications than the rest of the school. Ask the school, I'm sure they have all kinds of emergency procedure information available for you.

My kids have them here in MD. My daughter told me they go in the hall and get down to take covere. I asked about the windows and she said they go to the halls without windows! BINGO!

I'd def talk to the school about it.

My daughter told me they have a color system to include all types of emergencies and they practice them regularly, but not enough to scare the kids.

Was it an interior classroom with no windows? Even if it was - I would still go and ask questions.

Kids at schools around me in Dallas ISD did duck and cover (cars were thrown around in the Skyline parking lot nearby) and my coworkers daughter in Plano ISD spent an hour in the duck and cover position. However I dont know if any school had their kids duck and cover for the 3 hours or so that the storm was running through.

When I taught in DISD - we did a tornado drill every year with duck in cover in the hallways - lined up against the lockers.

At my office building, we went to an interior room on the second floor (not enough room on the first) and were told to duck and cover if we heard wind coming through the building. I think they were worried that many of my middle aged coworkers may get stuck in the duck in cover crouch if they stayed there too long... :)

Go to the school and ask.

Why don't you just call the school and find out what happened, ask them what their emergency procedures are? It should also be listed in your student/parent handbook.

I agree with Sam I Am. Also, you are not crazy!

Sometimes the actual tornado event lasts a long time, I would want to know that my kids were capable of lasting awhile in duck and cover mode when the need arose.

Jo W. does have a point though, mabey they were closer to the actual "position" in that room.

All things considered, call and ask, if for nothing else than your piece of mind.

I would get clarification before getting too worked up. A friend of mine was working at a school when the storms hit and kids were on "duck and cover" mode for at least an hour. They had them lined up against the lockers the whole time, however, after 20 or 30 min they put a movie on. She said every classroom has a tv monitor and they put a movie on for the kids, but they were all seated in position and ready to make the kids duck back down at any minute if needed. This sounds very similar to what you are describing. Your kids may have been in a safety mode and position the whole one and just not realized because a movie was on during the procedure.

Hmmm...well maybe it didn't come close enough they felt the need to do that? I don't know. What does their normal tornado drills look like? Do they make them duck and cover?

I remember we had a tornado come right down the street from our school. We were in the hallways just sitting there, when the teachers came out and yelled. Duck and cover NOW! So we did. The lights went out and the school shook a little but that was it.

I think they were trying to keep us calm, cause as soon as they had us duck and cover people started to panic. I think that if they had had us do that from the get go, they would have had a time of keeping us in those positions. Just theory. :)

I think it would be better to have as many kids in one or two locations than spread out lining the halls of the school. That way if the worst did happen they would have a larger looking area to find the kids along the hall ways.

Im sure it was less scary this way for the kids and being it was a longer time frame ( Im assuming it was a longer time as they watched a movie) than just the drill, this was probably the best for them. Im sure they would have had them duck and cover until the threat or actual tornado passed if need be.

When I was in high school it was a one level building and they had all the kids go into the inner most rooms of the school. We pushed the desks to the outer walls and we all huddled together in the room. It was body to body students crowded together. Wasn't the most comfortable and it was hot but it was the safest for all of us.

Im guessing your childs school is thinking along the same lines as mine did.

Here in Allen, we were in full 'duck and cover' mode for 45-50 minutes. Most of the school was in the library or multipurpose room which are in the center of the building. (2nd grade was in their hall which is also the center of the building, but on the other side) No one was even allowed to talk or use the restroom. What you're talking about is absolutely unacceptable and I would talk to the principle and/or the superintendent. We weren't even close, but we were ready.

I would be bringing this up at the next PTA meeting. That was unacceptable in my mind.

BUT, I would make sure the information was accurate. Which room did they go into, what was the plan, who was in charge of what happened, etc...

Our school has a basement with classrooms and the cafeteria. If a tornado hits that school they will hopefully be in the basement.

I teach elementary in Richardson ISD, and we were in the halls in front of our lockers from 1:40-3:15 pm when we began to dismiss the students late. Then halfway through our dismissal procedure, tornado sirens went off again and we had to bring everyone back in and do it again.

We were in the duck & cover position for a lot of it, but there were times that we were allowed to let the kids relax and sit up. At one point teachers were able to try to read a story. It was long and uncomfortable and the halls were hot, but I was confident that very student and teacher (and even some parents who ended up sticking with us when they came to get their child early) was very safe.

I'm not sure if maybe your child's school felt they weren't necessarily in immediate danger... Maybe the tornadoes were closer to us?? I just feel like when it comes to kids, it's worth it to go over the top to keep them safe... And to make sure their parents know they're safe when they're out of their sight!

My kids school practice Tornado drills - and it is exactly as you stated - lined in the hallway with their hands over their heads.

I would probably call and inquire the reason of the movie instead of the proper tornado drill.

ETA - We have only had to do drills - we have never been under a Tornado watch during school hours, so as some posted below that have ahd 2 hour watch's - we have never had that. Usually in our area if the sirens are blowing you better get to safety and they typically only last 30 mins at the max!! I can not remember a time that it has ever lasted longer then that.

My daughter and her class spent 45 minutes in the tornado shelter (aka boys bathroom) in the duck & cover crouch you described. She's in Kindergarten and was pretty scared. (She's in Frisco ISD.) I would have been upset if our school had done what your school did. You aren't crazy.

I agree with the interior room being safer than the hallways...however, I'm not comfortable with "movie watching" during this time. But then we have warnings here all Spring long...and what do I do? Sit and watch the news! Hmmm...I should re-think my process. Thanks for making me think about this...I need to ask my daughter some questions on what they do for drills.

We were in duck and cover for 2 hours in Mesquite then I got to Forney and they were in the same position. It was not fun as a teacher keeping the kids entertained that long, but we were safe and that's what matters!