It’s 15 minutes into the big test and students are furiously scribbling down their answers. Frantic students begin nervously glancing at the clock when suddenly, the fire alarm rings. Across the classroom, reactions range from sighs of relief to frustrated groans.

Administrators should notify teachers of when fire drills are scheduled so that teachers can avoid this kind of scenario.

The administration generally warns teachers about two of the 10 required fire drills each school year, principal Alan Goodwin said. Though the Office of the Fire Marshal mandates that administrators hold at least five unannounced fire drills, Goodwin could announce three more drills each year to help teachers avoid the hassle of interrupted tests and lesson plans.

Teachers often create tests that take one class period to complete and when time is interrupted, teachers have to make a decision: Curve the test? Give students extra time? Disrupt class plans by extending it till the next day? Any of these choices can create confusion and discrepancies among classes. Crowded hallways also provide the perfect opportunity for students to discuss test answers. Administrators should notify teachers about more fire drills to avoid this issue.

Many teachers and administrators argue that the goal of fire drills is to practice responding to a real event. Teachers become too complacent when they know that the fire drills are coming, assistant principal Kathy McHale says. However, fire drills are geared more towards making sure all students are able to get out quickly. Telling teachers about more fire drills would not reduce the realism of the fire drill for the students, and teachers already know what to do.

The Office of the Fire Marshal mandates that the five unannounced fire drills be kept on a strict “need to know” basis, so Goodwin usually tells only resource teachers, the Child Development teacher, and some of the ESOL teachers. Through word of mouth, teachers hear rumors about fire drills anyway, so announcing them would just be more effective to avoid confusion and wrong facts.

Letting teachers know about five out of the 10 annual fire drills would allow teachers to plan tests around them to reduce cheating and avoid confusing adjustments in test grading.