Lockdown chaos

Review faults some school responses, parent behaviour

Untrained teachers, delays in communication and aggressive parents threatening staff all hindered the lockdown in schools in the immediate aftermath of the Christchurch terror attack.

Schools, police and the Ministry of Education largely responded effectively as they sought to keep children safe in the hours after a gunman went on a rampage through the city on March 15, a review has found.

But lessons should be learned in case of future emergencies, including improving communication, providing better care and ensuring that schools and early learning services are given more consistent guidance from authorities.

The mass shootings that left 51 people dead could also change the face of how schools prepare for the worst, from teachers being trained on managing critical incidents to blinds and curtains brought into classrooms to hide children and phone alerts being sent out in emergencies.

The ministry’s deputy secretary, Katrina Casey, said the safety and wellbeing of children was ‘‘paramount’’ and the ministry is ‘‘committed to working with schools, early learning services and NZ police to respond to the opportunities for improvement’’.

The lessons from the report were applicable nationwide and the ministry will work with schools, early learning services, and police to implement them over the coming months, she said.

The report, commissioned by the ministry from audit firm KPMG, uncovered a litany of issues triggered by dealing with the shootings:

■ More than 40 per cent of senior staff in schools and early learning services had not been trained in or practised managing a lockdown;

■ ‘‘Irrational behaviour’’ of parents and caregivers – including banging on doors and threatening and even assaulting staff – created ‘‘significant stress’’ forced some schools and centres to break their own lockdown procedures to let children out;

■ In some instances children had to ‘‘commando-crawl’’ to toilets or use bins inside classrooms instead, triggering fears such situations could cause mental trauma;

■ Initial communication between police and the ministry was delayed, leading to police having to contact schools and centres directly to trigger the lockdown;

■ Some were not contacted at all because communication relied on the painstaking and slow process of emailing and calling each directly;

■ Police often called the reception at schools and centres, leading staff to think the message was a hoax;

■ Delays in contact meant schools and centres, even those close to each other, going into lockdown at different times; Students pour out of Papanui High School as the March 15 mosque attack lockdown ends. ■ Only 60 per cent of schools and centres had used ministry guidance to create their own policies on how to manage a lockdown.

Almost 75 per cent of the 301 schools and centres across Canterbury questioned for the report went into lockdown, but with vastly different ways of dealing with it.

In some, children were instructed to lie face-down under the desks with hands on heads in silence while an alarm sounded throughout the incident, while at others youngsters baked scones or were allowed to watch films.

Schools raised concerns about access to food, water and medication, while the report also suggested parents and carers

need better help in dealing with such incidents.

Many chose to go to schools and wait outside, leading to concerns their presence increased risks, created stress and made teachers’ jobs harder.

A small number of schools and centres said parents had been verbally and physically abusive, tried to break into schools or entice children out, damaged property and even fought with each other, leading to schools breaking their lockdowns to defuse the situation.

While every child at school or an early learning centre on March 15 went home safely, the report paints a picture of a future in which protecting against terror is as much a part of life as writing lesson plans.

Parents could be given guides on what to do in lockdowns, schools may consider equipping classrooms with curtains and blinds to help hide them and staff could be trained in responding to emergencies.

Drills could be run more regularly, while how families are told of incidents is likely to be revamped – with police potentially communicating publicly to parents over what to do.

Changes have already been made, the ministry said, with the nationwide roll-out of a new mobile phone-based system to alert schools and centres simultaneously being fast-tracked.

‘‘As well as actions for the ministry, the report also highlights the opportunity for all schools and early learning services to review their current lockdown policies and procedures,’’ Casey said.

‘‘Emergency plans need to be pragmatic, support adaptive leadership, and have child wellbeing at the centre of all planning and preparation.’’