School Lockdown is the Undertold Story of Ft. Hood Shooting

Ft. Hood lockdown is truly a tragedy. 12 soldiers were killed and 31 were injured. News stories were quick to descend on Ft. Hood. The appealing story was about the army psychiatrist that perpetrated these shootings. News outlets were focusing on whether the shooter was killed, did he act alone, and what could be his motivation. While most news outlets only gave it a mention, another story was also unfolding. The shooting threw Ft. Hood into a full lockdown. This lockdown included Ft. Hood's schools.

Ft. Hood not only houses soldiers. Ft. Hood also educates the soldiers' children. WorldNetDaily reported, "Todd Martin, assistant for communication at the Killeen School District, told the Army Times the district has seven elementary schools and two middle schools on the post." An exact student count was not available. Based on LocalSchoolDirectory.com estimates, Ft. Hood school district educates approximately 5,814 students.

After the shooting, the complete Ft. Hood post was placed on full lockdown. This lockdown kept anyone from entering or leaving the base. This lockdown was a precaution to ensure no suspects escaped and to ensure safety of everyone on the post. Part of this lockdown was the lockdown of Ft. Hood's school system. Although exact details of Ft. Hood schools' Lockdown procedures are not released, some lockdown basics are know. During a lockdown, schools exterior doors are locked, to prevent anyone from entering. Children may also be locked in their classrooms or classes may continue.

Ft. Hood initiated a full lockdown. A full lockdown requires moving students to secure areas. Taboada reported, "During lockdown, students kept in windowless areas of schools, played games." Ft. Hood's schools were on lockdown for more than five hours. Teachers and administrators worked to keep students entertained. Administrators did not tell any information to the younger students. Administrators offered middle school students some information. Middle school students were only told that a shooting had occurred.

Everyday a multitude of situations require schools to lockdown. On any given day, a quick internet search will produce a list of school lockdowns. Schools go into lockdown because of bank robbers in the area, prohibited items or weapons at school, or even hazardous materials spills. From this point of view, the Ft. Hood lockdown was not that unusual.

Ft. Hood lockdown had some contributing factors that added to the situation. The complete Ft. Hood base was on lockdown. Parents, who were off post, were not able to enter the post. Initially, they were not able to get information about their children. They were not even able to get near any of the schools. Initial reports focused around the situation and shooter. Not much initial information was available. These factors worked together to produce a large amount of anxiety and concern, among the student's parents.

Out of every incident, lessons may be learned. The lockdown at Ft. Hood's school system highlights many issues, that any school district should plan for such as; "What information should be released to students?", "Where are your school's secure areas?", "What information should be released to parents?", and "How will your school ensure the correct students are released to the proper adults?". These are just a few of the issues that any school system should plan for. Ft. Hood school's lockdown has shown us that lockdown are not always quick. If Ft. Hood schools' lockdown moves other school's to prepare for emergency incidents then a measure of good may come out of this horrible tragedy.

References
Taboada, Melissa B. After lockdown Thursday, Fort Hood schools try to return to normal. November 2009. Statesman.com. Retrieved on November 8, 2009 from http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/11/07/1107hoodschools.html
Fort Hood Schools. n.d. LocalSchoolDirectory.com. Retrieved on November 8, 2009 from http://www.localschooldirectory.com/city-schools/Fort-Hood/TX
Fort Hood triggerman: Muslim, shrink, officer. November 2009. WorldNetDaily.com. Retrieved on November 8, 2009 from http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=115137