Code Glow: Macon preschool explains lock down procedure

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Michigan woman was shocked to find her 3-year-old daughter standing on a toilet practicing a lock down drill she was taught as preschool.

41NBC’s Alexa Rodriguez stopped by a Macon preschool Wednesday to see if local teachers have similar procedures in place.

When you stop by Vineville Baptist Morning School, you automatically feel safe.

“Vineville Baptist has the children’s safety first and foremost in their minds and that really puts me at ease. I’ve never felt a moment’s hesitation dropping my child off here,” said VBMS Parent Michelle Livingston.

If the school’s harmony is ever threatened, teachers have a plan in place to keep students safe.

“Code Glow is just a simple term in a child’s language. It is something that we have turned into a game, but the ultimate result is their safety contained in a classroom when the doors are shut and they’re super quiet,” explained the Director of VBMS, Tonia Boyd.

Children are given a glowing star when they are in the bathroom with the lights off as part of “Code Glow.”

Students are taught to quietly follow the teacher to the bathroom when they hear the phrase “Code Glow.”

The teacher then turns off the lights while the assistant teacher makes sure all the doors are shut and locked.

Each child in the bathroom is given a glowing star.

They stay quiet and hidden until the threat is gone.

Michigan mother Stacey Wehrman Feeley posted a picture of her daughter standing on a toilet on Facebook.

Her daughter was practicing a lock down drill she learned at school.

Part of the post’s caption reads “At that moment all innocense (sic) of what I thought my three-year-old possessed was gone.”

At VBMS, teachers think it’s important to be prepared for the unspeakable.

“With a child, you have a nanosecond to get their attention, first and foremost, and to g
et their trust,” explained Boyd.

Teachers don’t use alarming words like gun or shooter to explain to students how to act during a Code Glow.

“It’s mom and dad’s job to kind of inform them of the world. It is not our place. We don’t want to focus on negative, hate,” explained Boyd.

Livingston has had two children attend VBMS.

One of them is about to start four-K.

This is the first time she’s heard about Code Glow.

“It does concern me, as a parent, that that’s kind of our society these days. When I was a child, that was no where even in the realm of thought. I think it’s great that they are proactive in the thought of knowing what to do with my child in the event that something happens, and they have his safety first. I think that’s awesome,” said Livingston.

Code Glow is specifically for threats inside the school.

There is a different drill for severe weather.

The teachers at VBMS came up with the idea for Code Glow on their own.