School Safety Drills in Colorado Through the Decades | #schoolsaftey #kids #parents #children

I’m terrible with dates, so let’s just say my parents were in grade school in the… 50’s? Daughter of the year over here. Let’s start there.

According to ChatGPT, here’s what school emergency drills have looked like through the decades.

Colorado School Safety Drills in the 1950’s and 1960’s

• Duck and Cover Drills, where kids were taught to duck under their desks to protect themselves from a nuclear blast. Let me say that again: From A NUCLEAR BLAST.
• Back in the 1950’s, there was even a cartoon character named Bert the Turtle who taught kids how to survive A NUCLEAR BLAST.
• There were designated areas in the school to take cover, like in the bathroom. Because a bathroom will most definitely save you from A NUCLEAR BLAST.

Colorado School Safety Drills in the 1970’s and 1980’s

• • In the 1970’s and 80s in Colorado, the school began offering fire safety drills, which is smart considering we’re literally in the middle of a Savannah-level drought right now. It just makes sense.
  • Wanna hear what the official 1970’s/1980’s Colorado fire drill was? Go outside and wait for a headcount. That’s it. That will literally save you from a RAGING FIREBALL.
  • And then they threw in tornado drills, especially on the Eastern Plains of Colorado. Get your pencil ready to take notes on how to survive a MONSTROUS TORNADO. Go into the hall, and band over while covering your head with your arms. Congrats. You just survived a level 12 twister.

Colorado School Safety Drills in the 1990’s

In the 90s, I believe, from my own experience of actually being there, Schools just forgot about emergencies. We were the “Let’s just see what happens” generation. Fire, Wind, Water, Lava, Nuclear Bombs, and kidnappers were completely absent in my elementary school years. These were the best years.

Colorado School Safety Drills in the 2000’s

• This is when it got real. After the horror of Columbine High School, Colorado school districts began implementing gun drills.
• The Code System was created. As in Code Red, bad stuff is happening.
• Ready to get really depressed? In the 2000’s, schools in Colorado began practicing moving students to off campus locations, where they can be united with their parents.

Colorado School Safety Drills in the 2010’s

• In the 2010’s, schools began having police on site with the uptick of drugs and guns.
• Active Shooter Preparedness. It’s a thing, and it makes me want to barf from fear.
• Secure Lockdown started in the 2010’s. As in someone is outside trying to get in.

Colorado School Safety Drills in the 2020’s…So, Now.

• Lockdown drills have become increasingly common in schools. Also called the Run-Hide-Protect drill.
• Get this..Police drills because some kids are calling bomb threats into school. Also known as swatting incidents.
• Cyber Security drills. I’m not really sure what this entails, but it definitely wasn’t a thing in the 90’s.
• Covid Drills. This is categorized as practicing social distancing and not licking windows.

So that’s the progression of school safety drills in Colorado through the decades. Some are funny, especially the 60’s. But as I really read through the stages, I just got really sad. I guess what I’m ultimately saying is the 90’s were the best.