Big Conversation: New Children's book addresses School Lockdowns

Claire Marie of The Dalles has written a new children’s book that addresses questions about school lockdowns, a difficult subject for parents and kids alike.

From Q&A with Claire Marie:

Author of Sammy the Sasquatch: Welcome to Crittertopia

Question: Why did you choose to write Sammy the Sasquatch?

Claire Marie: It’s kind of an odd thing, but Sammy the Sasquatch kind of wrote itself out of a need to better serve kids and adults. Working as a leader in school safety and emergency management, I regularly see and hear about young kids struggling with lockdown drills and caring adults, both parents and staff, not knowing what to say or how to have conversations about lockdowns. Parents sometimes keep kids out of school on days they know a lockdown drill will be held which means those kids are not learning, or practicing, potential lifesaving actions. This often occurs because of fear and lack of understanding which leaves kids to sit with big, heavy questions that aren’t being answered. So, I thought it was time to lift the veil of secrecy and silence around practicing lockdown drills by creating a trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate story, along with a magical world, that gently introduces kids to different actions and practices they are empowered to do in order to keep themselves safe, every day, regardless of what is going on in the world around them.

Question: Could you explain the difference between lockdown drills and active shooter drills?

CM: Lockdown drills are not active shooter drills. A lockdown is when the classroom door is closed and locked, lights are turned out, and everyone in the room sits close together on the floor in a designated location. The shorthand used to call a lockdown is often, “locks, lights, out of sight.” Lockdowns are used when something potentially unsafe is happening on school grounds or within the school which tragically yes, could be an active shooter. But it’s much more common for a lockdown to be called because an animal found its way in, an unfamiliar person is looking to use a bathroom, or someone experiencing mental health challenges wandered in.

Question: Will Sammy the Sasquatch: Welcome to Crittertopia be a part of a series?

CM: Yes I plan on having additional books focused on trauma informed safety education.

The next story will be “Tam the Turtle & the Dancing Earth,” which will teach kids about doing, “drop, cover, and hold on,” in the event of an earthquake. In addition to Tam, there are three other characters with stories in development and even more to come. .

Question: What advice would you give to caring adults who are nervous about having these conversations with their children?

CM: The world is often a safe place, but occasionally it isn’t. As adults, sticking our heads in the sand and pretending the world is different than it is doesn’t keep kids safe. Its vital kids know how, and are empowered to, keep themselves safe and adults can support this without building fear or hypervigilance in kids.

Kids know, and hear, a lot more than adults are aware of. Young kids have big, sometimes scary questions surrounding lockdowns, and are stuck sitting in secrecy and silence. I understand it’s hard for parents and caring adults to open what probably feels like Pandora’s box, but they can do it. The book has four pages of information focused on parents and caring adults to help guide them in how to have these conversations in safe, empowering, trauma-informed ways.

Question: How is Sammy the Sasquatch; Welcome to Crittertopia different from other children’s books on lockdowns?

CM: This is the first children’s book that clearly teaches the steps of doing a lockdown in a trauma-informed way, normalizing the practice through an imaginative yet relatable story, and provides four pages of support for parents and caring adults on how to have these big conversations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A School Emergency Management Expert, Trauma-Informed Practices Consultant, and former Reserve Law Enforcement Officer, Claire Marie has led efforts to support community and systems level trauma informed and resilience practices through education, implementation, and evaluation since 2015. Her work spans across K-12 school emergency preparedness & management, school safety & prevention systems, non-profits, community service agencies, and law enforcement mental health and wellness. She is passionate about approaching emergency preparedness and management through a trauma-informed lens and supporting schools to do the same.

Working as a leader in school safety and emergency management, Claire Marie often hears about young kids and adults (parents and staff) struggling with lockdown drills. In her new book, Sammy the Sasquatch: Welcome to Crittertopia [IngramSpark, April 18, 2023] she hopes to lift the veil of secrecy and silence around practicing lockdown drills by creating a trauma-informed story along with a magical world that gently introduces kids to different practices that empower them to stay safe, every day, regardless of what is going on in the world.

Connect with Marie Claire on her website www.sammyandfriends.org