Lock Down
Adam asked if he could leave school early last Friday to go to a concert. His friend (an honors student who would never intentionally miss school if it were not a really good reason) was going and the friend's mother was driving. If David miss two classes and Adam's ride to the concert was leaving early, I voted to let Adam leave early. On Friday afternoon I got an e-mail from the president of the pta that the high school was on lock down. My initial reaction was I am so glad we let Adam leave early today.
The initial report was that there was a report of a student with a gun at the middle school across the street from the high school, so as a precaution, the high school would go on lock down until they found the kid with the gun. When the school goes on lock down, they don't tell the students why they are on lock down. There are 2,000 students on the campus and they all have cell phones. They were told not to talk, so they were all texting. Within minutes of the e-mail from the pta president, Adam called his mom to tell her that Jade had texted him that the school was on lock down.
There was nothing on the news, but then Adrienne received a mass call from the principal--a recorded message that said a hostage situation had been reported at the high school and now swat was in charge. The school would stay on lock down and the students would not be permitted to leave. Finally about two hours later I got another e-mail from the pta president that the students were being let out the side gate room by room. There were helicopters that we could see over the school the whole time. We got another mass call from the principal praising everyone's participation and that there was no threat found at the high school. It was an air gun found at the middle school and three seveth graders were under arrest.
I'm afraid that I didn't get it. It just didn't seem that serious to me. Perhaps since Adam wasn't actually there, it didn't hit home. Perhaps since Frankie had been arrested for having a beebee gun at school (the high school) without great incident--Frankie wasn't going to shoot anyone, he was just a dumb kid. The scary kids that I've met at the high school will shoot someone, but not just anyone at random. These are business people, future mafia, very professional. But I digress.
It hit home last night at the pta meeting. The principal described the events from his perspective and a few of the kids shared their experience. One of the pta mom's was in the classroom just as the lockdown happened, so she also spent two and a half hours crouched behind a desk. One of the substitute teachers left the door open and was going in and out of the door on his cell phone. The students perceived this as a threat and so they confronted him. He started screaming that they (the students) were trying to kill him. His screaming was close enough to the principal, so that he thought he would be the hero and locate the threat, so he ran out toward him (without knowing that swat was around the corner). Swat thought that the principal was the threat and pointed all their guns on him putting him on the ground and then proceeded to turn the guns on the students, who this off the wall substitute teacher was yelling were trying to kill him.
All I could think was who decided to call in swat. What trigger happy person decided that guys dressed all in black with rifles was going to improve the situation at the high school. What was the end game here? Did a review of colunbine or virginia tech show that swat would have saved any lives? Isn't there anything in between no police or security and swat? The police were called to investigate a report of a student with a gun at the middle school. A girl was mad because a boy she didn't know cut in line ahead of her, so she pulled off his back pack and was going to pull out the contents. She felt something that she thought was a gun, so she reported it to a teacher. The police were called and they interviewed her. The gun they eventually found after searching the entire school was an air gun. Neither the back pack, nor the students involved matched the description by the girl. Apparently this is common--eye witness information is incredibly inaccurate.
I guess that I can understand that the initial decision to lock down hoover--there is a report of a student with a gun across the street. Let's play it safe, and make sure that that student is not at hoover. What was the plan--no one was able to make that clear to me. Wait and see if there is no shooting for twenty minutes? Thirty minutes? Instead 2,000 students text their parents that they are in lock down in a school in which 23 different languages are spoken in the homes. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this message might get distorted. But do the police use any of their brain cells--no they escalate immediately to swat.
Adrienne thinks the police were absolutely correct to call out swat and that if they had shot the principal, it was his own fault for going toward the shouting man. My fear is that if he hadn't gone toward the shouting man, what if a student fearing that the shouting man was endangering his life and the life of his fellow students had gone toward the shouting man. What if that student was perceived as the threat by swat and killed. The principal knows that the guy dressed all in black with the rifle is swat. I don't know what a teenager knows in a situation of great stress.
I just wish someone with brains was in charge of assessing the situation. This was not an eye witness that saw kid with a gun out threatening anyone. There was no report of a gun at the high school. The police were already at the middle school searching for the reported gun in a back pack. The police knew or should have known that the high school went on lock down. The police knew or should know that every student is going to be texting messages out. The police knew or should have know that miscommunication was likely. There was no actual witness of a threat--there was an anonymous call which they claim was from an adult (how would they actually know?? and how does someone call in anonymously anymore with caller id??) I am ashamed at how poorly this was handled by the police and as the incoming pta president of the high school, I am going to make a lot of noise to make sure better plans are in place for real emergencies.
The initial report was that there was a report of a student with a gun at the middle school across the street from the high school, so as a precaution, the high school would go on lock down until they found the kid with the gun. When the school goes on lock down, they don't tell the students why they are on lock down. There are 2,000 students on the campus and they all have cell phones. They were told not to talk, so they were all texting. Within minutes of the e-mail from the pta president, Adam called his mom to tell her that Jade had texted him that the school was on lock down.
There was nothing on the news, but then Adrienne received a mass call from the principal--a recorded message that said a hostage situation had been reported at the high school and now swat was in charge. The school would stay on lock down and the students would not be permitted to leave. Finally about two hours later I got another e-mail from the pta president that the students were being let out the side gate room by room. There were helicopters that we could see over the school the whole time. We got another mass call from the principal praising everyone's participation and that there was no threat found at the high school. It was an air gun found at the middle school and three seveth graders were under arrest.
I'm afraid that I didn't get it. It just didn't seem that serious to me. Perhaps since Adam wasn't actually there, it didn't hit home. Perhaps since Frankie had been arrested for having a beebee gun at school (the high school) without great incident--Frankie wasn't going to shoot anyone, he was just a dumb kid. The scary kids that I've met at the high school will shoot someone, but not just anyone at random. These are business people, future mafia, very professional. But I digress.
It hit home last night at the pta meeting. The principal described the events from his perspective and a few of the kids shared their experience. One of the pta mom's was in the classroom just as the lockdown happened, so she also spent two and a half hours crouched behind a desk. One of the substitute teachers left the door open and was going in and out of the door on his cell phone. The students perceived this as a threat and so they confronted him. He started screaming that they (the students) were trying to kill him. His screaming was close enough to the principal, so that he thought he would be the hero and locate the threat, so he ran out toward him (without knowing that swat was around the corner). Swat thought that the principal was the threat and pointed all their guns on him putting him on the ground and then proceeded to turn the guns on the students, who this off the wall substitute teacher was yelling were trying to kill him.
All I could think was who decided to call in swat. What trigger happy person decided that guys dressed all in black with rifles was going to improve the situation at the high school. What was the end game here? Did a review of colunbine or virginia tech show that swat would have saved any lives? Isn't there anything in between no police or security and swat? The police were called to investigate a report of a student with a gun at the middle school. A girl was mad because a boy she didn't know cut in line ahead of her, so she pulled off his back pack and was going to pull out the contents. She felt something that she thought was a gun, so she reported it to a teacher. The police were called and they interviewed her. The gun they eventually found after searching the entire school was an air gun. Neither the back pack, nor the students involved matched the description by the girl. Apparently this is common--eye witness information is incredibly inaccurate.
I guess that I can understand that the initial decision to lock down hoover--there is a report of a student with a gun across the street. Let's play it safe, and make sure that that student is not at hoover. What was the plan--no one was able to make that clear to me. Wait and see if there is no shooting for twenty minutes? Thirty minutes? Instead 2,000 students text their parents that they are in lock down in a school in which 23 different languages are spoken in the homes. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this message might get distorted. But do the police use any of their brain cells--no they escalate immediately to swat.
Adrienne thinks the police were absolutely correct to call out swat and that if they had shot the principal, it was his own fault for going toward the shouting man. My fear is that if he hadn't gone toward the shouting man, what if a student fearing that the shouting man was endangering his life and the life of his fellow students had gone toward the shouting man. What if that student was perceived as the threat by swat and killed. The principal knows that the guy dressed all in black with the rifle is swat. I don't know what a teenager knows in a situation of great stress.
I just wish someone with brains was in charge of assessing the situation. This was not an eye witness that saw kid with a gun out threatening anyone. There was no report of a gun at the high school. The police were already at the middle school searching for the reported gun in a back pack. The police knew or should have known that the high school went on lock down. The police knew or should know that every student is going to be texting messages out. The police knew or should have know that miscommunication was likely. There was no actual witness of a threat--there was an anonymous call which they claim was from an adult (how would they actually know?? and how does someone call in anonymously anymore with caller id??) I am ashamed at how poorly this was handled by the police and as the incoming pta president of the high school, I am going to make a lot of noise to make sure better plans are in place for real emergencies.
posted by KathrynVH @ 9:20 AM
3 Comments:
At May 15, 2007 at 12:06 PM,
Adrienne said…
She's right, I have been in a lock down situation and have held many a drill for such. I think the Principal over reacted as he should also have been in lockdown mode and not roanming the campus as is District policy. Absolutely the substitute should at the very least be fired and at the most made to work every day in a high school classroom (I haven't decided which is worse). As for the "airsoft" gun. It was in pistol format and is made to look EXACTLY like a hand gun. Here is a link to see http://www.hobbytron.com/ElectricAirsoftPistolNonBlowbackFPS240G18SD18PKG.html
At May 15, 2007 at 8:32 PM,
Anonymous said…
Only an idea…….How about a person who is an honors student getting privileges that others don’t. You could figure they had earned them and that they could afford to miss a few hours of school. On the other hand, if you’re not doing that well………
But that would be teaching that you should do something now to have it in the bank for a future need. What a concept.
marty
At May 17, 2007 at 1:58 PM,
Marcel said…
In situations like this there are many people who try to do the right thing. Trained police and swat teams do what they are trained to do. Teachers do what they are trained to do and students do what they are trained to do. In nearly all situations like this there are people who do not do what they should and that leads to confusion and ultimately chaos. I am surprised at you Kathy for second guessing after the fact. We now know those who did not do what they should have done, who exascerbated the situation. Those people need more training, or replacement if it can be shown that they lack the maturity to handle themselves well in a crisis situation.
Hurrah for the police and the swat team, they performed their part well. Of course there is egg on some faces but so be it. Nobody got hurt and there was an exercise that revealed some areas for improvement. Find out what can be improved, take steps to improve, and get on with the job of the school.
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