W. H. Ballard School – Secure Schools Drill: Lockdown

Dear Families,

We are writing to inform you that our school will be holding a secure schools protocol drill (Lockdown Drill) this week, so that staff and students are prepared in case of an emergency. We appreciate the co-operation of our students and staff during the drill.

It is also important that we all remain aware of secure schools terminology used in all of Ontario’s publicly funded schools. You can learn more about HWDSB’s approach to secure schools at: https://hwdsb.info/secureschools.

On Wednesday, November 30th, we will be practicing our first “Lockdown drill” of the year during period 1 at 9:20 a,m.. Any students arriving to school during this drill will be required to wait outside of the school until the drill has been completed…..a sign regarding this will be posted on the school’s front door.

The term “Lockdown” is used when there is an incident or threat of serious violence or injury within the school. During a Lockdown an announcement will be made as follows: “This is a Lockdown”. During this time, all students and staff are to remain in class and away from the door until further notice with doors locked. Any students outside of a classroom, go to the nearest accessible room, including a washroom, and close the door. While in lockdown everyone should remain quiet and turn off cell phones (as they may alert the intruder to their presence). As always, students are expected to follow the directions of staff to ensure their safety.

Please discuss this upcoming drill with your child(ren), stressing the importance of practicing such drills! If you have any questions or concerns regarding this, please feel free to contact us at the school.

Sincerely,

Mr. Pellizzari (Temporary Principal) and Ms. Gokhale (Vice-Principal)