School lockdown drills
pay off for Waipahu High

A fight involving 20 students prompts
a real-life lockdown

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By Nelson Daranciang
Star-Bulletin

When a fight involving 20 Waipahu High students broke out in front of the school's cafeteria during the lunch recess Thursday, Principal Pat Pederson ordered the school into lockdown, the first time the emergency procedure has been used at a Hawaii school.

In five minutes the campus grounds were clear except for the combatants and responding campus security officers. The 20 students were quickly hustled into the school's administration office, where they were questioned. Police arrived and arrested two students on assault charges.

Fifteen minutes after the lockdown began, the all-clear signal was given, and the rest of the campus population emerged from locked offices and classrooms to continue their lunchtime activities.

The lockdown is part of the school's new emergency action plan. Waipahu's 2,300 students and 200 staff members and teachers have been practicing lockdown and evacuation procedures since the beginning of the school year.

Pederson said she was pleased there are procedures in place and the students knew exactly what to do.

An announcement from Pederson over the school's public address system initiated the lockdown. The announcement let the students, teachers and staff know they needed to get into the nearest open office or classroom and take cover. Windows and doors were locked behind them.

In the school's last lockdown drill, it took less than two minutes to clear the campus grounds. Thursday's lockdown took longer because students lingered to watch the fight, Pederson said.

Waipahu installed a $24,000 public address system for the emergency action plan. Additional speakers needed to reach the farther reaches of the campus will cost the school another $35,000 it does not have, Pederson said.

"All schools have some kind of crisis or emergency response plan," said Rodney Goo, state Department of Education School Safety Management Project coordinator. Waipahu is "further along because they're practicing and have formed a closer working relationship between students and police," Goo said.

Waipahu is the first school whose plan is part of the Honolulu Police Department's Community Area Responsibility program. HPD Sgt. Danny Ford started formulating the plan after the 1999 killings at Colorado's Columbine High School. Ford has initiated the same plan at Pearl City High and hopes to bring it to Radford High and Aiea High.