Every student knows what to expect when an earthquake, a tornado, or another natural disaster strikes. The procedures are standard: get low, stay covered and wait for a teacher or administrator to give direction on what to do next. But what happens after an intruder enters the premises and students evacuate the building? How do those students get reunited with their parents?

It seems logical to practice this procedure, yet in the Bethlehem Area School District (BASD) none has ever been conducted until recently. On Oct. 22, 2014, Freedom HS took the initiative and held a Reunification Drill in order to address the issues that will be witnessed after an incident.

"We always had a plan for reuniting students and parents; we just never practiced it," said Holly DeNofa, Freedom's assistant principal. "So we put together people from all over the district, students, parents, administrators, teacher, to participate."

DeNofa coordinated the event held at East Hills MS. Members from the community came together, including Northampton County EMS members who played a part in planning the drill. As medical emergency professionals, Northampton County officials shed a good deal of light onto what to expect, and what needed to be accomplished as well as improved.

"We felt confident in our plan, but you are never 100 percent prepared for anything," DeNofa said. "The more you prepare for something, the easier it gets in case of an event."

Volunteers involved in the Reunification Drill met at East Hills MS and were assigned a role in the scheme of the event. Students and parents were given name cards that administered new identities to each. Every student was matched with a "parent" and expected to stay in character for the drill. The drill concluded when records verified that students were reunified with their parents. Administrators are not permitted to release students without the consent of a parent or emergency contact person.

"I thought it was a really smart concept to help enhance our preparedness for an emergency," said Freedom sophomore Gabriella Greenhoward. "I thought the idea of role playing and trying to recreate an emergency was a good idea; however, I think you can't take into account what you would be feeling in an emergency in a drill."

In the resemblance to a real event - such as an armed intruder, DeNofa believes the drill was effective. After factoring in the fear and shock that comes along with an incident, the difference could be enormous. Also, only about 150 people participated. If this had been in fact an actual unification event, about 1,800 students, 1,800 parents, hundreds of staff members and administration would be on site with police and fire officials to manage the procedure.

"I thought it was nice to see that we had a plan to be prepared in case of an emergency," said sophomore Josh Christianson. "There was chaos, but it was organized chaos. I hope we practice the drills more often because I thought it was effective."