D109 Holds Surprise Lockdown Drill for All Its Schools

DEERFIELD, IL—Deerfield Public Schools District 109 ran an unannounced lockdown drill Wednesday afternoon for all of its schools in order to prepare students, faculty and staff in the case of a police emergency.

The district sent an email shortly after the drill to give parents information about the surprise practice run and allay any concerns they might have if they saw emergency vehicles outside of D109 schools.

The email also outlined plans for parents in the case of a school emergency. In an actual emergency, the district emphasized that parents should avoid going to their child's school and follow these guidelines:

1. Do not telephone the school. Telephone lines may be needed for emergency communication. We will employ our phone/email/text system to alert parents and community in the event of emergency. Please ensure your information is current in Family Access.
2. In some serious emergency situations, students may be relocated to another facility for safety. Once the students are all accounted for at the remote site, they will be transported by bus to a designated site where you will meet your child.
3. When you travel to a reunification site, please be sure to bring proper identification. We can only release students to legal guardians or the authorized individuals you have listed as emergency contacts.

The district's safety committee, as well as the Deerfield Police Department, the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the Lake County Regional Office of Education and the district's private security consultants will be examining the results and data collected from Wednesday's drills.

The state requires schools to hold three fire drills, a severe weather drill and at least one enforcement drill during the year.

Parents with questions, concerns or suggestions can contact the co-chairs of the district's safety committee:

• Principal Scott Schwartz, Walden Elementary School
• Principal John Filippi, Shepard Middle School