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What does a sub do in a fire drill or lockdown?

Lead your class through the school's plan and account for every student. Dysart Unified tells subs to stay calm, walk the class to the evacuation point, take the attendance list, check every name, and go back in only when told. Many schools use the Standard Response Protocol, where lockdown means locks, lights, out of sight.

Checked October 30, 2026 against the sources below.

The Standard Response Protocol, from the "I Love U Guys" Foundation, has five actions: Hold (stay in your room), Secure (get inside and lock outside doors), Lockdown (locks, lights, out of sight, stay quiet), Evacuate (move to another place), and Shelter (a named hazard and the strategy for it). Warren Township schools follow it.

Warren also tells subs to find the evacuation map by the door and the Crisis Response Handbook, which holds class lists, before students arrive. In a fire drill, Warren says the teacher leaves the room last and stays with the class the whole time.

Each school's plan is its own. When you sign in, ask the office where your exit route goes, how lockdowns are announced, and where the class list is kept.

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This answers a common question in general. Your district, school and state may differ, and their word wins. Up: All questions · Substitute teachers

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