I'm sorry but if my daughter texted me saying there was an active shooter in the school, I would be headed right for there, as would a lot of parents, and I guarantee you, some would be carrying, what the hell were they thinking?
A school lockdown drill in Winter Haven, Florida, angered parents whose children apparently texted in alarm, with one noting that a police officer with an assault rifle came into a classroom.
Initially, only three people knew the lockdown at Jewett Middle Academy on Thursday was only a drill, police said. Parents, teachers and students were not told in advance about the scheduled event because, the school district said, the element of surprise is vital to make the drill effective.
"We don’t want students to be scared, but we need them to be safe," the Polk County School District said in a statement. "Unfortunately, no one gets an advanced notice of real-life emergencies."
Schools throughout the nation run such drills, but often it is up to local districts to determine the specifics of how the drills are run.
There have been two non-drill lockdowns at this school in the past year, police said, adding that neither was found to involve an active shooter. The first came after someone heard what they thought was a gunshot, but no gunman was ever found. The second was prompted by a seemingly threatening note found in the school's trash.
Thursday's drill was announced as another lockdown over the school's intercom system, Jamie Brown, a spokeswoman for the Winter Haven Police Department, told ABC News. Teachers were supposed to follow specific protocols for keeping the children safe in the classrooms.
A school resource officer -- who is a known presence on campus who wears a holstered, loaded pistol -- and a local police officer carrying an unloaded AR-15 went room to room, telling the teachers and students that it was a drill, Brown said.
Brown told ABC News neither officer pointed their gun at students.
Nevertheless, one mom, Stacy Ray, said her children texted her in alarm to say police with guns were in the classroom, according to local station WTVT.
"A lot of people started getting scared because we thought it was a real drill," one of Ray's children, seventh grader Lauren Marionneaux, told the station. "We actually thought that someone was going to come in there and kill us."
"I'm panicking," Ray told WTVT, "because I'm thinking that it's a legitimate shooter is coming, that something bad is happening at the school."
Ray, who did not immediately respond to ABC News’ calls seeking comment, wasn’t alone. Cherrise Tate said her son texted his dad and he started racing to the school.
"It makes me upset that they didn’t let us know," Tate told ABC News. "My husband almost got a ticket coming over here yesterday."
Polk County Public Schools spokesman Jason Geary said parents were sent an email from the school after the drill was complete and the incident is under review by the district's Department of Safe Schools. The district has announced that it will continue to have unannounced drills but uniformed officers will not carry weapons during those drills.
PTA board member Heidi Calvelage, whose son is a seventh grader at Jewett Middle Academy, said she was surprised any parents were upset about the secrecy surrounding the "very necessary" drills.
As for the student apparently texting before the drills have concluded, Calvelage said, "they shouldn’t be using their cells in class in the first place."
That last sentence really angers me
18 Feb ’12
This is just beyond stupid. I could understand law enforcement drilling at the school after hours to get familiar with the school. I could understand having drills for the kids. Who could ever think that bursting into a school with guns drawn would be a good idea? And what idiot of a cop would ever go along with this? I wonder if anyone had the balls to stand up in the briefing room and say "this is a bad idea."
SMH
awesome
WINTER HAVEN --
Changes have been made in the wake of last week's school lockdown controversy in Winter Haven.
Polk School Superintendent Kathryn LeRoy has put new rules in place and she has suspended the principal of the school.
Winter Haven police conducted a lockdown drill at Jewett Middle Academy Magnet School last week. During the drill an officer pulled out his loaded handgun in front of students in a classroom. Another officer had an AR-15. That scared some students and upset some parents.
At a school board meeting Tuesday evening LeRoy announced that she was suspending principal Jacquelyn Moore while an internal investigation continues.
"Obviously, the school administration at Jewett Middle Academy Magnet, which was responsible for the coordination of this drill, exhibited a lack of good judgment and did not have a clear understanding of how the drill should be conducted," said LeRoy.
She is also putting formal rules in place for future law enforcement drills at schools. No weapons will be carried during the drills. Parents will be sent messages about the drills when they start. School staff will also be located at the entrance of school to answer any parent questions. Staff will also take phone calls to answer any parent questions.
Parents picking up their children from Jewett Middle Academy Magnetl Wednesday had mixed reactions to the news the principal had been suspended.
"Overblown," said parent Reggie Harris, who felt the suspension was political. "That was uncalled for. That was my opinion. That was uncalled for."
But parent Kim Skinner felt the move could be justified.
"I support them in the decision they have made," She said.
The school district has sent the new rules to Polk County's law enforcement agencies.
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