There has been a major increase in school shootings in the US during the past decade. A non-credible, but still alarming threat made in Ventura County has left some students worried about their safety on campus. One way to gain some peace of mind is making sure that as a student you are familiar with the VHS safety procedure for a lockdown.

Officer Tony Gomez went through the procedure that both students and teachers should follow in the event of a lockdown.

After a 30 second to a minute long succession of bells, there will be an announcement over the intercom that the school is in a lockdown.

Immediately, any students on campus must go to the nearest classroom, after which the teacher will close

and lock the door. “That door does not open anymore, until further instructions,” stated Gomez.

Gomez goes on to further explain that within the classroom “blinds [go] down, lights [turn] off, cell phones should be off, no teaching… and law-enforcement recommends all students stay away from windows and doors and stay against the walls until further instructions from the teachers.”

He explains that a lockdown doesn’t necessarily mean that someone has come on campus with means of hurting students or staff– it can also mean that someone near campus has committed a crime and has not yet been contained by police.

Once the dangerous individual or individuals have been contained by police, there will be an announcement that the lockdown is officially over and school can continue on normally.