Description: For K-12 schools, the majority of situations that require a lockdown do not involve a person brandishing or using a weapon. A preventive lockdown involves locking perimeter doors and internal doors to keep a situation from escalating. Limited normal activities such as teaching may continue, but hallway activity ceases. For example, teachers can continue to teach with their rooms locked. Movement in hallways and other areas is stopped while the situation is investigated and addressed.

(Note: Preventive lockdown should not be confused with shelter-in-place, which is used when there is a hazardous condition outside (e.g., a chemical, radiological, or biological hazard) that requires occupants to remain in designated indoor shelter areas, perhaps for an extended period of time, and may involve sealing the room.)

When used:

• When imminent danger is not indicated but there is a need for increased security (for example, if a belligerent person is causing a disturbance in the main office).

• Seek input from emergency responders on your procedures and locations.
• Identify:
• Locations within the facility that can be secured.
• For unsecurable locations in the facility, nearby safe havens.
• Procedures should indicate:
• Decision factors in selecting preventive lockdown as an appropriate response action.
• Who has responsibility for initiating a preventive lockdown.
• Training and empowering staff to initiate a lockdown independently, followed by communication to prompt a lockdown for the rest of the building and notification of law enforcement.
• Procedures for:
• Initiating a preventive lockdown.
• Notifying personnel in the facility.
• Immediate notification of 911 and on-site security and/or law enforcement officers when a lockdown is implemented.
• Implementing lockdown of individual rooms.
• Communications between individual rooms and main office.
• Indicating lockdown status of individual rooms.
• Accounting for people during the lockdown.
• Issuing keys to those who will need them.
• Handling a fire alarm during a lockdown. (Fire alarms should NOT be activated as a response action for an intruder situation.)
• Notifying occupants’ households of the lockdown status.
• Other considerations:
• Planning for individuals requiring assistance (e.g., assigned responsibilities, buddy system, posting daily schedules). Ensure you know who is on site that would need assistance and where they will be.
• Precautionary steps such as having internal doors locked as the default.