Unfiltered Story #253943

(This takes place back in 2010 or 2011. In my school district, there are three types of lockdowns: Code A, Code B, and Code C. Code A means hide, Code B means evacuate, and Code C means either continue as usual and don’t leave the building or continue as usual and don’t leave the classroom, depending on the circumstance. Students and staff are taught to remember it as A is for active shooter, B is for bomb, and C is for classroom. We almost never hear if we enter a Code C lockdown since it doesn’t really affect our daily activities. Pretty much the only times we know we are in Code C is if 1) we can’t leave the classroom usually because there are drug-sniffing dogs in the hallways, or 2) it’s near the end of the school day and administration isn’t sure if it will be lifted before dismissal.
It is second period, and I am in band class. Our band teacher is out sick this day, so we have a substitute. We are doing worksheets when the intercom dings.)
Intercom: We are now entering a Code A lockdown. I repeat, we are now entering a Code A lockdown. Teachers, please initiate Code A lockdown procedures.
(Everyone stands up. Usually, classes will hide on the wall along the door. However, we have a large storage closet for all our instruments, and we decide that that’s a better place to hide, so we all head in that direction.)
Substitute: What are you all doing? Sit down now!
Classmate 1: It’s a Code A lockdown. We’re supposed to hide.
Class: Yeah.
Substitute: I don’t care. Besides, it’s just a drill. Back to your seats.
Classmate 2: No. Code A means you’re supposed to lock the doors, cover the windows on the doors, turn off the lights, and hide until they give the all clear.
Substitute: I’m the teacher, so you have to listen to me. You will sit back down in your seats this instant!
(We all ignore her and head into the closet. Someone remembers to turn the lights in the classroom off. The substitute teacher follows us and starts yelling at us for ignoring her. It takes about 15-20 minutes for administration to check the entire school, so that’s 15-20 minutes of this substitute yelling at us for not listening. We also get the impression that she has mixed up what Code A and Code C mean. Eventually, the lockdown is lifted and we return to our seats where she continues to yell at us for not listening.
Two days later, when I have band class again, our teacher is back. He starts off class by telling us how disappointed he is in us. Administration had dinged our classroom for not locking the doors, not covering the windows, and most importantly they could hear noise as they passed by in the hallway. Basically, if it had been real, we would all be dead. Our teacher had tried to excuse the doors and windows by saying the substitute probably didn’t know what to do and also didn’t have a key to lock the door, but the noise issue could not be ignored. Once our teacher finished his speech, we told him what really happened. He said he would take it up with Administration, and then told us to take out our music.
The ironic part is, our substitute was sort of right. When she was yelling at us, we got the impression that she mixed up Code A and Code C, so she thought Code A meant we were to continue what we were doing and couldn’t leave the building. During the middle of the drill, there was some police activity less than a mile away from the school, so we had entered a Code C lockdown. They never announced it in school, but my mom had asked me about it when I got home that day. So yes, there was about an hour in the middle of the school day when we couldn’t leave the building.)