Lock Down

Last week I experienced a district wide lock down because of a tornado watch.  My principal immeidately put the school into tornado drill effect.  It was right before dismissal but we were instructed not to let the students board the buses.  Everyone had to remain at school until we were offically relased from lock down.  The lock down last until 3:45.  Parents were frantic and wanted to come and take their children home.  I guess they felt better knowing that their child was with them.  They probably didn't know that our building which is made of cinderblock was probably the safest place for them.  The students were then dismissed to go home.  A little boy's mother called the school.  She was very upset because her child di not get off the bus at his stop.  She was screaming "Where is my son?"  She caught a cab to the school and was ranting and raving.  We called the bus supervisor who informed us that the child had been taken to the nearest school, which was Spease elementary.  This school was way across town.  The mother was livid because she was in a cab and she did not know the location of the school.  I assured her she would not have to take a cab to the school  and that I would personally take her in my car to pick up her son and take them both home.  This calmed the mother down some and we immedately set off to get the student.  The mother was worried that her son had been oput off the bus in the rain and he was somewhere walking around lost and in the rain and cold.  I assured the mother that this was not protocol and we would never do such a thing.  The child was safe, but the mother was not hearing it.  I drove the mother to the school and she picked up her son and I took them both home.  She apologized to me for being in such a rage and I assured her that I being a mother also, understood completely.  I learned a lot that day.  I leanred how to remain calm in a bad situation.  I could've escalated the situation by getting emeitonal or I could de-escalate it by focusing on alleviateing the mother's fears, which were not totally unfounded.