When the principal's voice came over the loudspeaker during the middle of class last Friday morning, we knew it was serious. We were ordered to immediately evacuate the building and were directed to take our classes to the school football stadium located a safe distance away from the building and await further instructions.
Few of us knew that school officials had received a serious and credible bomb threat and that the police had already sealed off the perimeter of the school grounds with squad cars and police tape. This was not a drill.
Within a matter of minutes, the school was completely evacuated and locked down. Some 2200 students, along with their teachers, custodians, lunch ladies and support staff gathered in the safe confines of the football field, wondering what was happening.
The students, to their credit, remained calm and relatively quiet. They knew, as we all did, that this was serious. Several asked me what was going on. "Space aliens," I replied with a smile, pointing my finger to the sky. "They're here." The kids seemed reassured by joke, and I did not want them to know that I was as nervous and scared as anyone.
After a few moments, the principal called for all teachers to meet with him in the center of the football field at the fifty-yard line. We were all wearing the bright orange emergency vests that we had been issued by the school district only a few weeks before.
I made my way to the center of the field along with some 175 other teachers. There the principal told us about the bomb threat. The police would be checking the building with bomb-sniffing dogs, and the procedure would take probably several hours. We were cautioned to not use cell phones as they could unintentionally detonate an explosive device and told to remain with our students and reassure them that the situation was under control. Fortunately, it was a warm, sunny day. Things could be worse, I told myself.
The school security team working with the local police implemented our school emergency plan that had been prepared for just such an emergency. We learned later that the stadium had already been swept for bombs before the order was given to evacuate the school. Water bottles were brought out to prevent students from becoming overheated in the warm sun. Medicines for students had already been secured from the nurses office and contingency plans were in place to distribute them to students who needed them.
From the top of the stadium, we could see police cars with flashing lights stationed at each school entrance. Eventually we saw dogs being led in by their police handlers. A police helicopter circled overhead. This was no joke. This was the real deal.
Minutes turned into hours, and still we waited. The kids had gathered in small groups around the field, talking about the things that mattered to them. Would the football game be cancelled? What are you wearing to homecoming? Who broke up with whom last week.
Finally, after about two and a half hours, the principal addressed everyone over the stadium public address system. School would be closed for the rest of the day, and students would be dismissed. The building would remain closed and locked until the police finished their inspections. Students would have to wait until later that afternoon or the following morning to collect their backpacks, cell phones, and other belongings they had left in their classrooms.
Most kids were grateful for the early release from school - an unexpected early start to the long Columbus Day weekend. Within a few minutes, the stadium was empty, and the students headed for the buses or their cars. Thankfully, no bomb was found, and the bomb scare was officially over.
Except that it wasn't really. We had lost an entire day of instruction. The lives and schedules of over 2,000 students had been disrupted. Parents had to leave work early to pick up their kids. Police officers were taken off the street to search the premises and guard the perimeter. Fire fighters had been called just in case.
And of course the media showed up in force, filming the day's events for the evening news.
The search for the individual or individuals responsible would consume countless hours in the days ahead, keeping school administrators, police, and others away from other important tasks. As of this writing, that search continues.
This happens all to frequently in public and private schools across America. The epidemic of bomb threats has continued for years, costing millions of dollars and disrupting the education of thousands of school children annually.
The total extent of this epidemic remains unknown. Surprisingly, the government does not keep statistics on the number of bomb scares. A 2005 report issued by the Department of Justice called "Bomb Threats in Schools" states that, "There are no national statistics on bomb threats as such, though they are more common than bomb incidents." The report cites as an example one Maryland school district that reported 150 bomb threats and 55 arrests during a single academic year!
Clearly, the bomb threat epidemic is out of control and represents a clear and present danger to the safety and welfare of our schools and our students.
It is past time for our federal and state officials to get serious about this problem, and they should start by compiling accurate statistics so that we can begin to understand the real scope of the problem.
In addition, tough penalties must be imposed on the perpetrators of these crimes. These are acts of terrorism, and not childish pranks.
Finally, schools need to work more closely with local, state, and federal authorities to promote awareness of the problem and make it clear that anyone who commits such a crime will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
A civil society cannot and should not tolerate such behavior. It is time to recognize that a threat against one school is a threat against all schools. Let's work together to stop this epidemic once and for all.
Few of us knew that school officials had received a serious and credible bomb threat and that the police had already sealed off the perimeter of the school grounds with squad cars and police tape. This was not a drill.
Within a matter of minutes, the school was completely evacuated and locked down. Some 2200 students, along with their teachers, custodians, lunch ladies and support staff gathered in the safe confines of the football field, wondering what was happening.
The students, to their credit, remained calm and relatively quiet. They knew, as we all did, that this was serious. Several asked me what was going on. "Space aliens," I replied with a smile, pointing my finger to the sky. "They're here." The kids seemed reassured by joke, and I did not want them to know that I was as nervous and scared as anyone.
After a few moments, the principal called for all teachers to meet with him in the center of the football field at the fifty-yard line. We were all wearing the bright orange emergency vests that we had been issued by the school district only a few weeks before.
I made my way to the center of the field along with some 175 other teachers. There the principal told us about the bomb threat. The police would be checking the building with bomb-sniffing dogs, and the procedure would take probably several hours. We were cautioned to not use cell phones as they could unintentionally detonate an explosive device and told to remain with our students and reassure them that the situation was under control. Fortunately, it was a warm, sunny day. Things could be worse, I told myself.
The school security team working with the local police implemented our school emergency plan that had been prepared for just such an emergency. We learned later that the stadium had already been swept for bombs before the order was given to evacuate the school. Water bottles were brought out to prevent students from becoming overheated in the warm sun. Medicines for students had already been secured from the nurses office and contingency plans were in place to distribute them to students who needed them.
From the top of the stadium, we could see police cars with flashing lights stationed at each school entrance. Eventually we saw dogs being led in by their police handlers. A police helicopter circled overhead. This was no joke. This was the real deal.
Minutes turned into hours, and still we waited. The kids had gathered in small groups around the field, talking about the things that mattered to them. Would the football game be cancelled? What are you wearing to homecoming? Who broke up with whom last week.
Finally, after about two and a half hours, the principal addressed everyone over the stadium public address system. School would be closed for the rest of the day, and students would be dismissed. The building would remain closed and locked until the police finished their inspections. Students would have to wait until later that afternoon or the following morning to collect their backpacks, cell phones, and other belongings they had left in their classrooms.
Most kids were grateful for the early release from school - an unexpected early start to the long Columbus Day weekend. Within a few minutes, the stadium was empty, and the students headed for the buses or their cars. Thankfully, no bomb was found, and the bomb scare was officially over.
Except that it wasn't really. We had lost an entire day of instruction. The lives and schedules of over 2,000 students had been disrupted. Parents had to leave work early to pick up their kids. Police officers were taken off the street to search the premises and guard the perimeter. Fire fighters had been called just in case.
And of course the media showed up in force, filming the day's events for the evening news.
The search for the individual or individuals responsible would consume countless hours in the days ahead, keeping school administrators, police, and others away from other important tasks. As of this writing, that search continues.
This happens all to frequently in public and private schools across America. The epidemic of bomb threats has continued for years, costing millions of dollars and disrupting the education of thousands of school children annually.
The total extent of this epidemic remains unknown. Surprisingly, the government does not keep statistics on the number of bomb scares. A 2005 report issued by the Department of Justice called "Bomb Threats in Schools" states that, "There are no national statistics on bomb threats as such, though they are more common than bomb incidents." The report cites as an example one Maryland school district that reported 150 bomb threats and 55 arrests during a single academic year!
Clearly, the bomb threat epidemic is out of control and represents a clear and present danger to the safety and welfare of our schools and our students.
It is past time for our federal and state officials to get serious about this problem, and they should start by compiling accurate statistics so that we can begin to understand the real scope of the problem.
In addition, tough penalties must be imposed on the perpetrators of these crimes. These are acts of terrorism, and not childish pranks.
Finally, schools need to work more closely with local, state, and federal authorities to promote awareness of the problem and make it clear that anyone who commits such a crime will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
A civil society cannot and should not tolerate such behavior. It is time to recognize that a threat against one school is a threat against all schools. Let's work together to stop this epidemic once and for all.
5 comments:
I feel this bomb scare was a threat to more than just our school alone, as you said yourself. It really opened eyes for students to show how terrorism is still upon us even after 9/11. Thankfully in this threat nobody was physically harmed, unlkie 9/11. I was also happy to get a, basically four day weekend out of it too. -Matt Savoia
Events like these happen a lot everywhere but it seems to be underestimated how serious it really is. The bomb threat at our school was something that I never really thought could happen but there's always the possibility it could. At least this threat was one that had no serious consequences and we got an extended weekend. -Joseph Guerrero
Even though events like this happen often in other schools, I never thought a bomb threat would happen at my school. Although most students were blissful about the early release, most people failed to realize the seriousness of the situation. Gratefully, everyone was okay and no one was injured. I also applaud the students for conducting themselves in a proper manner throughout the entire event. Additionally, I hope this occurrence doesn't repeat itself as it served as a disruption in the lives of many.
This bomb scare really took me by suprise. I never would've imagined that it would happen in our city and let alone in my own school! As soon as the principal came on the intercom, I knew something serious was happenning. The teacher I had during this period of time was confused as much as the students were. We were all directed to go outside, but this time all the down to the practice fields and not the usual parking lot. At first, I thought this was probably a drill, but then as I looked around I saw helicopters and police surrounding the area, and at that point I knew something was definitely not right. I really do hope that someone find the person who pulled this prank and teach a life-long lesson he will never forget.
the bomb threat was kind of scary, kind of funny. I have had a bomb threat in my previous school in Alexandria where a student hid a note in a dictionary in English class threatening to blow up a school bus. However, the miscreant was caught right away since the note contained fingerprints. Also, when my dad was in school, one of his classmates(not friend) decided to do a bomb threat in order to postpone the semester exams. However, when he called in to place the bomb threat, the police kept him on the line long enough to trace his call to a land phone. After that, it was a piece of cake!
Post a Comment