Occasionally, some of our school buildings have to go under a lockdown due to a situation in the community or because of a threat involving the school. We wanted to share our lockdown procedures with parents so you will know what is going on during a lockdown, and why we take the precautions we do.

When an administrator learns of a possible threat, his or her first reaction is to call the police. We are thankful of the positive relationship we have with our local police department, including having a resource officer at Newark High School.

At the recommendation of police, we may initiate a lockdown. Different circumstances call for slightly different procedures, but at a basic level a lockdown means our exterior doors are locked and students stay in their rooms.

Doors and windows are locked and blinds are closed

Staff members take a count of the students they are with to make sure everybody is safe

During the lockdown, nobody is generally allowed to enter or exit the building. If we contact you about a lockdown, please do not go to the building until we say it is safe. You will not be able to enter, and the situation also may not be safe for you.

Our first priority is to ensure the safety of all students. We will also work to communicate with parents in a timely manner with the most accurate information we have at the time.

As soon as possible, we will try to communicate with parents through our Blackboard Connect Calling System and, when appropriate, our Twitter and Facebook pages.

When police tell us that the situation is contained and there is no immediate threat, the lockdown is lifted and we return to our normal schedule

These are basic guidelines for how we go through a lockdown. However, every situation is slightly different. Again, our first priority is for student safety.