High School Lockdown Today

[Swimmer]

8:30 this morning the chief tells me she is going to the high school for a problem to do with an email threat. The chief and three officers, my shift, goes with her. When they arrive at the high school they find the dufuss, who emailed the threat to the principal is still on line at another school in town.

Chief calls and tells me to have everyone else surround this alternative school in the center of town because thats where the threat came from. This is the type of school where the kids that go there are basically troublemakers, criminal types, and just can't get by in a regular classroom. Most all come from a disadvataged background. They know right from wrong though. I call it the Montessori School for Hooligans. A kind of free range student atmosphere. Most of the time the students are free ranging in the back parking lot having a butt with one of the teachers or getting one of the teachers a coffee in Dunks across the street. They gave up on any dicipline a long time ago.
So while the whole high school is in lockdown, we are having continuous interviews in the station of students present when the perp pressed the send button an arrest was made this afternoon at 3:15 p.m. That email threat had to cost in excess of $50,000.00, without a doubt.

I think I had about 100 calls from concerned parents. All with the exception of two or three took it pretty good. One became really pissed off at me. Some people no matter what you say they don't believe you. After all it is thier children. Speaking of which the kids did great during the whole thing. All behaved and not one problem.

[beamie]

Swimmer,

What did the threat say? Bomb? etc....

[BigFish]

The town should sue the kids parents and take the 50 grand out of their A$$!!!

[Raven]

the message got out.... and got around quick...

don't F around....


because they take everything very seriously now..

[Moses]

My son's elementary school is running a "lockdown drill" tomorrow. My poor son's been a wreck all frigin week.

[BigFish]

Not like when we went to school...huh?

[Katie]

Originally Posted by BigFish

Not like when we went to school...huh?

That's for sure, on what I've been told. Makes me glad I only have a few months to go left.

[BigBo]

Most kids these days do not feel the threat of repercussions of their actions. They're just not afraid of what the consequences might be if caught.

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by BigFish

Not like when we went to school...huh?

Dunno about you but at my High School we had bomb threats all the time - but it was from the budding middle eastern terrorist of the 80's and the jackbutts like Red Army Faction... That, and bomb threat drills (much like fire drills)

I've seen a high school lockdown drills in recent years - the school department did do not have the best plan or execution - at least from the security perspective.

[The Dad Fisherman]

They had a Bomb Threat at my son's school last week and my wife was telling me the parents were the biggest bunch of jerks she ever saw.

The school did, what I thought was the right thing to do, they got all the kids out of the building, immediately and in an orderly fashion (or Tried To) and moved them to the elementary school nearby, basically to get them indoors because it was raining.

My wife said there were dozens of parents complaining to the school because their kids couldn't go get a jacket back at their lockers and got wet cause it was raining WTF, I'd rather have my kid wet and in one piece instead of the alternative, God Forbid.

She said there were also parents grabbing there kids out of line and taking them home without telling the principal or any of the teachers....smart My wife said she saw one kid tell her Mother No because she said she needs to stay with her class because that is what the school wants them to do (smart in spite of her parents), and the Mom was pissed.

amazing what society is turning into.

[Flaptail]

We have been through the same thing here where I work several times. A note dropped in the hallway, something written on a boys room wall or a phone call.

By Massachusetts law we now have a masterplan for emergencies and all the administrators, including myself have been extensively trained by the local police departments and have attended all the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency training courses and are certified along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency as well (MA is way better at it than they are)

We hold lockdown drills even going to the extreme with several local police departments, the State Police and swat team from Connecticut and Rhode Island particpating in one memorable all day exercise with hostage taking and firing or actual weapons with blanks in the school. (One door was fired at and the blank from the 9mm shattered the glass as it was to close)

Scared the bejesuz out of the kids and staff and made them all realize what the dangers out there really are. Our security is very very tight when school is in session.

It's too bad but it's a reality we have to deal with in an open society where gun control for illegal weapons and tracking of those weapons, perverts and kids whose parents depend on the schools to discipline thier kids rather than taking responsibility and being a parent is in such a shambles.

( I am not anti-gun, responsible gun owners are not the problem it's the stuff kidz get illegally, how easy it is to get them and how many there are actually on the street that needs to be addressed.)

I never thought of working in schools as a dangerous occupation but it is a real viable threat and you can never know what is going through a 16 year old's mind. Sad really.

[Swimmer]

We've had several drills prior to this occurring for real. Kid/perps parents don't have a nickel to thier name. The parents are the real problem like a couple of other post said. I don't think many people showed up to try and get thier kids out, but some did. They wouldn't have been allowed to thier child anyway. Once that starts happening, kids disappearing from secure areas inside or out, then keeping track of all of them would be impossible. Some people are incredibly self-centered anyway. When given an oportunity to shine during one of these events to a self-absorbed person ist akin to having hollywood calling. Get all dolled up for the media present. Flap could tell us more than I on this. He is inside everyday............like a corrections officer somedays I'm sure. I think overall it went well. Thier was one problem with what bomb squad was in charge. The partner town in this I guess always calls the MBTA bomb squad and we call the S.P.'s. It is a huge friekin school. It was nice that we had a few calls after the fact, from parents, saying they thought we did a great job.

[Flaptail]

Originally Posted by Swimmer

We've had several drills prior to this occurring for real. Kids parents don't have a nickel to thier name. The parent are the real problem like a couple of other post said. I don't think many people showed up. They wouldn't have been allowed to thier child anyway. Once that starts happening, kids disappearing from secure areas inside or out, then keeping track of all of them would be impossible. Some people are incredibly self-centered anyway. When given an oportunity to shine during one of these events to a self person it akin to having hollywood calling. Get all dolled up for the media present. Flap could tell us more than I on this. He is inside everyday............like a corrections officer somedays I'm sure. I think overall it went well. Thier was one problem with what bomb squad was in charge. The partner town in this I guess always calls the MBTA bomb squad and we call the S.P.'s. It is a huge friekin school.

Parents are not allowed access to thier kids when evacuation is nescesary. All the kids at whatever of the 6 schools we have during an incident are bussed to reunion centers off campus. Also, if this happens say at ten in the morning we hold the kids until regualr dismissal time. This does two things, one it makes it easier to account for the children during a prolonged incident and subsequent on scene investigation and two, especially at a junior or high school level the perps in a call in threat are usually among the kids retained and it often results in a solid tip leading to the perp because the other kids are pissed off that they had to wait all day in another place, were not allowed to mingle or talk to each other or most important get out early. Deprevation of social interaction in an unfamiliar and purposely uncomfortable place of teenagers tends to get them really mad at whover was stupid enough to trigger an event an the idiot that did it will always boast and therfore always get caught. Works great.

[Rappin Mikey]

I am a counselor in one of those schools.

[Jimbo]

We've had two bomb threats within a week of each other in our middle school recently, but our kids have been well trained in 'stranger alerts" (same process for bomb scares) and take them seriously. Both times we were later informed that teachers and administrators were amazed at the speed in which the evacuation took place. Kids up and go, leaving everything behind, walking to the high school nearby. They also installed an automated call system to alert parents just about the time they take place.
In the first case the kid wrote his threat on a bathroom stall with a marker and it took police and teacher staff about an hour to put together hall passes and writing analysis and they nabbed the kid. The other case was called in and they somehow figured that out quickly. They take this stuff very seriously here. I'm not happy with a lot as far as modern schooling goes, but the way they deal with crime in our schools I'm really proud of.

[Swimmer]

Originally Posted by Rappin Mikey

I am a counselor in one of those schools.

I am sure some days are very difficult for you. Good luck.

[chris L]

Originally Posted by JohnR

Dunno about you but at my High School we had bomb threats all the time - but it was from the budding middle eastern terrorist of the 80's and the jackbutts like Red Army Faction... That, and bomb threat drills (much like fire drills)

I've seen a high school lockdown drills in recent years - the school department did do not have the best plan or execution - at least from the security perspective.

john
RAF (Baader-Meinhof Group) blew up the post office on my base after I left in 81 and the PX in like 84 .

[Slingah]

Originally Posted by Rappin Mikey

I am a counselor in one of those schools.

God bless you Mikey, I went to one of those schools...until they threw me out ...

[Rappin Mikey]

One of my new students (it was his third day yesterday) got jumped by three other students on his way home yesterday. They stabbed him in the back. I know he made it to the hospital, but I haven't heard anything more. I coach the basketball team too. We play other alternative schools in the area. Our games are during the school day and are an incentive for students that are maintaining level in our behavior modification system. Anyway, this kid had dropped 20 points and grabbed around 15 boards. The last time I saw him he was walking out of school with a big smile on his face. I hope he's OK. I'm pretty sure it was gang thing. The Latin Kings and La Familia are feuding pretty bad in Holyoke these days.

[Rappin Mikey]

Just an update. The kid is OK and coming back to school tomorrow. I guess they missed his kidney by a few centimeters. No arrests yet though.

[Swimmer]

Thats good. You watch yourself too.