Safety drills are not new to PHS, with students being familiar with drills like fire and tornado drills, but this year, a new law has changed the process for students who struggle with anxiety. 

Students who deal with anxiety will now have a safe space to go after a drill to calm down if they need to. Students will have spaces and people they can talk to after a drill so they can talk or calm down, even if they just need a minute. Parents will also be informed when intruder drills are taking place. Teachers will also be informed ahead of time to know where to send students in need of support.

“Our biggest thing is we want our students to know exactly what they need to do in case of an emergency. We hope that we never ever have any type of emergencies here at Paoli. However, if they occur, we want our students and staff to be prepared and know what steps to take in order to make things go as smoothly as possible,” said Assistant Principal Adam Stroud.

Throughout the year, students can expect to participate in fire drills once a month, and also tornado, earthquake, hold, intruder, and lockdown drills. Parents will only be informed ahead of time about intruder and lockdown drills.