Yesterday was our "turn" for a school shooting scare

[#1hoosierfan]

I am an elementary teacher in the same school system both of my boys attend high school. It is a middle/upper middle class suburban area. My ds15 texted me about 12:45 yesterday and asked if we were on lockdown at my school. I told him "no." I teach about 7 miles from where he attends. He said they were on a "hard" lockdown. They were in the corner of the room with lights out. They typially tell students when there is going to be a lockdown and the level because they don't want kids freaking out and texting parents to panic them. I could tell he was nervous by the number of texts he was sending and what he was saying..... joking and being silly, which is his way to deal with nervousness. He said he could hear sirens. We live about 2 minutes from the school. Dh works from home, so I told him to get in the car and see what is going on.

He gets in the car and sees that police cars have lights going and blocking entrances and lots of undercover officers with lights flashing and a fire truck heading to the school. He turns around because he doesn't want to get in the way. DS15 then texts me picture that his friend took looking out the window of the school. There are two plain clothes officers holding very large guns. I start to get pretty dang nervous at this point. I text ds18 to see how he is doing. He acts like it is no big deal..... My boys are nothing alike. His calmness made me feel better.

Dh and the boys text that they can hear a helicopter circling. It circled for a good hour. The students were put on "medium" lockdown after about 20 minutes or so and kept in the classroom until they dismissed about 2:30. All after school sports were cancelled.

Come to find out, a threat was called in that there were bombs placed around the school and if the school tried to evacuate students there was someone hiding with a rifle that would start shooting. What a terrible position for law enforcement and school officials to put in. Stay in with possible bombs or leave and get shot? Everyone did a great job through the whole thing, and thankfully it seemed to be a hoax call.

I kid you not, as I typed that last paragraph I got word that our middle school, which is 1/2 mile from our high school is in lockdown because of a threat.

This world is crazy. Our kids deserve better than this. Everything turned out ok yesterday, but I hate that my kid had to see police officers walking outside his school carrying assault rifles. At the next school the kids might not be so lucky as to walk out. Makes me sick to my stomach.

 

[hhisc16]

I am an elementary teacher in the same school system both of my boys attend high school. It is a middle/upper middle class suburban area. My ds15 texted me about 12:45 yesterday and asked if we were on lockdown at my school. I told him "no." I teach about 7 miles from where he attends. He said they were on a "hard" lockdown. They were in the corner of the room with lights out. They typially tell students when there is going to be a lockdown and the level because they don't want kids freaking out and texting parents to panic them. I could tell he was nervous by the number of texts he was sending and what he was saying..... joking and being silly, which is his way to deal with nervousness. He said he could hear sirens. We live about 2 minutes from the school. Dh works from home, so I told him to get in the car and see what is going on.

He gets in the car and sees that police cars have lights going and blocking entrances and lots of undercover officers with lights flashing and a fire truck heading to the school. He turns around because he doesn't want to get in the way. DS15 then texts me picture that his friend took looking out the window of the school. There are two plain clothes officers holding very large guns. I start to get pretty dang nervous at this point. I text ds18 to see how he is doing. He acts like it is no big deal..... My boys are nothing alike. His calmness made me feel better.

Dh and the boys text that they can hear a helicopter circling. It circled for a good hour. The students were put on "medium" lockdown after about 20 minutes or so and kept in the classroom until they dismissed about 2:30. All after school sports were cancelled.

Come to find out, a threat was called in that there were bombs placed around the school and if the school tried to evacuate students there was someone hiding with a rifle that would start shooting. What a terrible position for law enforcement and school officials to put in. Stay in with possible bombs or leave and get shot? Everyone did a great job through the whole thing, and thankfully it seemed to be a hoax call.

I kid you not, as I typed that last paragraph I got word that our middle school, which is 1/2 mile from our high school is in lockdown because of a threat.

This world is crazy. Our kids deserve better than this. Everything turned out ok yesterday, but I hate that my kid had to see police officers walking outside his school carrying assault rifles. At the next school the kids might not be so lucky as to walk out. Makes me sick to my stomach.

In SC last year, we had a similar situation at numerous public schools.
Many of them were determined to be from a phone number outside of the US.
It was about this same time of year.

I am an AP at a public high school and this sounds like a very tough situation.
DW works at a feeder elementary public school.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I agree, today's youth deserve a lot better than what they have been served.

 

[CGB]

I'm sorry that happened to all of you. We had a hard lockdown about a month ago as well. There was a shooting a couple of blocks from the schools (jr/sr high and elementary are fairly close to one another) and it was believed the armed suspect was running toward the schools. The elementary school's cameras did pick up the guy as he ran into the neighboring park. We locked down just before lunch until almost 4 pm as the surrounding housing areas were searched. It was stressful on everyone, especially as we were trying to figure out what was going on. Our cafeteria ladies did a great job pivoting to get our kids some lunch (which was brought to our classrooms). We learned a lot about procedures, what works and what doesn't, during that real-life experience.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

In SC last year, we had a similar situation at numerous public schools.
Many of them were determined to be from a phone number outside of the US.
It was about this same time of year.

I am an AP at a public high school and this sounds like a very tough situation.
DW works at a feeder elementary public school.

They have not identified the threat from yesterday, but it would not surprise me if they do find out it came from outside the US. Apparently the one made today was “identical” to yesterdays which leads even more to that direction.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

I’m so sorry that happened to your poor boys. I am also a teacher and it’s my worst fear. I agree this country is crazy! This all needs to end.
There was a lockdown last week at a H.S. the next town over. Apparently a student was seen with a weapon. No one was hurt, but really!

 

[Skippy918]

So scary. I hope they find the people who started this threat and arrest them.
My kid was in lockdown a couple weeks ago and they didn’t know what was going on at first. Turned out to be a bank robbery down the street from the school. They got dismissed once the all clear was given.

 

[kdonnel]

Bomb threats are why I told my kids that when told to evacuate, they should just walk home.

It’s too easy to call in a bomb threat, get everyone outside and then have the bomb outside or have the attack occur outside as everyone evacuates.

 

[disykat]

Terrifying on all fronts. I can feel the angst of the kids, the teachers, the parents, and now that I have a son in law enforcement, the emergency response team.

 

[texaslover]

When I taught 3rd grade we had a hard lockdown while out at recess. I'll never forget the feeling that went through my body as we ran those kids inside the building and just starting filling the first classrooms we came to. While I was holding the door for the last student to come through and making sure it was pulled to and locked I had that weird out of body feeling where you kind of watch yourself and I kept wondering if this is when the gunshots start.

We ended up locked down and barricaded for about 35 minutes. It turns out someone who robbed a store nearby ran on to school grounds with a gun. I don't think anyone who hasn't experienced something like that can know what it feels like to hear nothing, receive vague texts to stay away from the windows/doors, and know all of the kids' lives in the room are in your hands.