@apalachee high school

[erbear]

Sept 6, 2024 16:03:08 GMT -5 campermom said:

Have your schools banned phones yet? Our district did. A decision made by a very conservative board with the loudest members highly endorsed by MFL. Remember, Board of Ed members are elected public, most of which don’t have experience in schools. They made it clear from the district that phones go in bags, and bags go to the back of the room. No one is to have a phone in the hall during class, therefore no one has a phone in the bathroom. (They can use them at class change.)

I saw a TikTok-14greeneggsandham said “Has anyone checked to see if the NRA is behind schools banning phones? Because it’s a real bad look for them all the kids have to send their parents their last I love you texts”

I dk if any of you have seen there’s a lot of TikTok’s made by Apalachee students being rescued in their classroom by police. I don’t recall seeing quite that much survivor video footage other school shootings. My guess is that more and more districts will be banning phones.

My office is across the only bathroom on the entire floor for hundreds of kids worth of classrooms. Kids are in and out of those bathrooms-which have no door, instead it’s a wall they walk around and into the room with the stalls, constantly. During drills, I sweep those kids into my room bc there’s no way they’d make it back before their classroom door is locked down. They would go to a nearby classroom if I wasn’t there.

All I could think about this week is that if something happened, all those kids who aren’t in their classroom for whatever reason would have NO WAY to reach their parent.

No.

In an emergency, I don’t want anyone on a phone. Leave the lines open for the adults to communicate, do not make noise.

[JayhawkGirl]

During a similar emergency locally, the lines were jammed. My loved one was able to get some snaps out to us but calls and texts weren’t possible.

I get the concern and yearning to be able to reach our own child. I also understand giving time for official communication. Where that fails us is the privacy of a bad actor is more important than the safety of my child’s learning environment. And thus communication is non existent.

My freshman has a new district wide no personal electronics rule. I love it. They go in a tray at the teacher’s desk. Worst case scenario, I suspect the kids would be given their phones to text home.

[basilosaurus]

Q for those (legitimately) concerned that phone noise would be a safety risk, do teachers have the ability to ensure phones are silenced?

Or is keeping them in a central open location presumable away from kids and teachers considered enough risk mitigation?

[Deleted]

Sept 7, 2024 2:47:58 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

Q for those (legitimately) concerned that phone noise would be a safety risk, do teachers have the ability to ensure phones are silenced?

Or is keeping them in a central open location presumable away from kids and teachers considered enough risk mitigation?

As someone who has been on real-world lockdown in a few active shooter situations (neither of which I was in imminent danger, fortunately), the last thing you want to do is have kids on phones during a lockdown.

1) It makes a lot of light, which can be seen by anyone peeking in, or even under the door

2) People pay so much attention to their phones that they forget about what’s going on around them

3) There is SO MUCH misinformation that goes around when people involved in these situations text each other or look at social media during lockdowns. “I heard it was this person.” “I heard a gunshot” (in my personal experiences, often other noises like slamming doors are mistaken for gunshots), “My mom says the news is right outside.” People even watch the news feed while the lockdown is going on!

4) Even on silent, phones buzz. If a phone is on a hard surface like the floor or a desk, you can hear it.

I get wanting to reach out to your loved ones and tell them you love them or tell them you’re safe. But the act of doing that might actually make you and others LESS SAFE.

[neverfstop]

Mother of Georgia suspect is said to have called school before shooting, warning of ‘emergency’


Around the same time, a school administrator went to the son’s math classroom, according to Lyela Sayarath, a student in the class. Sayarath said there seemed to be confusion involving another student in the class with a name similar to that of Gray’s son. Neither student was in the room, and the official left with a backpack belonging to the similarly named student, she said. The shooting began minutes later.


www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/09/07/georgia-school-shooter-mother-warning/

[campermom]

@villainv those are all really good points and I’m so sorry you ever had to experience them.

[ellipses84]

That WA Post article is so hard to read because there were so many points this tragedy could have been prevented and so many people who followed the “see something, say something” advice.

[Deleted]

Sept 8, 2024 2:19:14 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

That WA Post article is so hard to read because there were so many points this tragedy could have been prevented and so many people who followed the “see something, say something” advice.

There was plenty of time in there for people to at least call law enforcement. An early call to 911 (even before the shots were fired) might not have prevented the shooting, but I wonder if it could have sped up the response at least.

[wanderingback]

1) It’s so fucked up that school staff have to go looking for a CHILD that they think may have a gun. I feel tremendously sorry for the school staff.

2) As we all say and know this is obviously a gun problem as this would’ve never happened if he didn’t have access to a gun. Of course his father is to blame for making it super easy, but I guarantee that if he were older especially and wanted access to a gun they are so easy to obtain in this country that it’s likely he would’ve gotten one.

[neverfstop]

Initially I was glad the school responded so quickly & had so many "school shooter" safety measures in place, but the more I hearing it seems like there were also some pretty big failures. I can't fathom how much more carnage there would have been without the warning, without the locked doors, without the on-site officer.

[basilosaurus]

Excellent points @villianv. I didn't doubt it was safer for kids not to have phones, but I didn't think of the misinformation and hysteria parts or even the lights.

[Velar Fricative]

Sept 8, 2024 7:40:55 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

1) It’s so fucked up that school staff have to go looking for a CHILD that they think may have a gun. I feel tremendously sorry for the school staff.

2) As we all say and know this is obviously a gun problem as this would’ve never happened if he didn’t have access to a gun. Of course his father is to blame for making it super easy, but I guarantee that if he were older especially and wanted access to a gun they are so easy to obtain in this country that it’s likely he would’ve gotten one.

To be honest, I am taking the mother’s account with a grain of salt. We don’t actually know what she told the school.

Especially because I’d like to believe if someone calls to report that their child at school has threatened to shoot up the school right then and there, the protocol isn’t for unprotected school staff to randomly look for the kid without a sense of urgency.

This is all so bizarre and maddening.

[maudefindlay]

Sept 8, 2024 10:45:35 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

Sept 8, 2024 7:40:55 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

1) It’s so fucked up that school staff have to go looking for a CHILD that they think may have a gun. I feel tremendously sorry for the school staff.

2) As we all say and know this is obviously a gun problem as this would’ve never happened if he didn’t have access to a gun. Of course his father is to blame for making it super easy, but I guarantee that if he were older especially and wanted access to a gun they are so easy to obtain in this country that it’s likely he would’ve gotten one.

To be honest, I am taking the mother’s account with a grain of salt. We don’t actually know what she told the school.

Especially because I’d like to believe if someone calls to report that their child at school has threatened to shoot up the school right then and there, the protocol isn’t for unprotected school staff to randomly look for the kid without a sense of urgency.

This is all so bizarre and maddening.

Totally agree. That Mom has a history. Curious to see if it's true the school and family had been in contact at least a week before the shootings re: Colt's worsening mental health and that he was having homicidal and suicidal ideation. If that's true wtf is he still going to school?

[wanderingback]

Sept 8, 2024 10:45:35 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

Sept 8, 2024 7:40:55 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

1) It’s so fucked up that school staff have to go looking for a CHILD that they think may have a gun. I feel tremendously sorry for the school staff.

2) As we all say and know this is obviously a gun problem as this would’ve never happened if he didn’t have access to a gun. Of course his father is to blame for making it super easy, but I guarantee that if he were older especially and wanted access to a gun they are so easy to obtain in this country that it’s likely he would’ve gotten one.

To be honest, I am taking the mother’s account with a grain of salt. We don’t actually know what she told the school.

Especially because I’d like to believe if someone calls to report that their child at school has threatened to shoot up the school right then and there, the protocol isn’t for unprotected school staff to randomly look for the kid without a sense of urgency.

This is all so bizarre and maddening.

Well it seems the Washington post verified with text messages and a 10 min phone log that she was talking to the school for 10 minutes. Whether or not she said specifically he has a gun what I meant that it’s really shitty that school staff has to go search for a child that is a threat and that a gun has to be considered a possibility in this country in a child’s back pack. They did take someone’s back pack and I’m sure many school staff has unfortunately had to deal with the threat or has found a gun on school grounds.

As someone who also works in a field where the threat of violence including gun violence is ever present when we’re just trying to do our jobs is fucked up.

We actually had a recent pretty big security breach and threat recently and thankfully all the people did was yell and traumatize people in the waiting room. However a staff member did end up getting fired for what happened cause they thought they didn’t do enough to stop the threat. My point was it’s really fucked up that us regular people who have no desire to carry guns or stop people with guns are put in these positions in professional settings.

[katfco]

In my school, when a student is unaccounted for, they will alert staff via email (often the student is skipping), and/or call for them over the intercom. Unarmed staff and security might look for them depending on the situation. We do have a police officer stationed at our building, but that person doesn't usually get involved unless there is a credible threat.

I can definitely see it taking 10 minutes to locate a child, especially if the threat was just that they might be a danger to themselves. Sometimes we might go on a lower-level lockdown (i.e. teaching continues but we're not to give out any passes and doors are to be locked) for various reasons. School administrators have to weigh responding to credible threats vs. inciting panic over rumors.

[chedifuen]

Sept 7, 2024 2:47:58 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

Q for those (legitimately) concerned that phone noise would be a safety risk, do teachers have the ability to ensure phones are silenced?

Or is keeping them in a central open location presumable away from kids and teachers considered enough risk mitigation?

At our school, all personal electronics are locked in a bag that disables it from receiving notifications. Kids carry the bag in their own backpacks. 

[lust2hart]

Sept 8, 2024 11:52:55 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

Sept 8, 2024 10:45:35 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

To be honest, I am taking the mother’s account with a grain of salt. We don’t actually know what she told the school.

Especially because I’d like to believe if someone calls to report that their child at school has threatened to shoot up the school right then and there, the protocol isn’t for unprotected school staff to randomly look for the kid without a sense of urgency.

This is all so bizarre and maddening.

My point was it’s really fucked up that us regular people who have no desire to carry guns or stop people with guns are put in these positions in professional settings.

Totally agree. When I was an academic advisor at a university, there were a few times when I was having a hard conversation w a student (like they weren’t going to get into the major they wanted, or they weren’t going to graduate on time) and they leaned down to get something out of their backpack, and I was legitimately afraid of what they were pulling out. That is insane.

[katb]

PDQ - this is one of the MAIN reasons I left teaching after 20+ years of teaching F/T and then mostly PT the last 15 years. I worked at an alternative school program. One of the current students showed up after our hours (we had shorter hours than regular middle school) at their main middle school with a gun. Supposedly - he claimed it was for protection BUT he had no business being at the home school as he as in our program. Our Country sent him back to our program for weeks without notifying staff that he was arrested for a gun charge. I was so disturbed - not that it could happen - I understood the risks - didn't like them but knew it was a possibility. BUT that no one thought to notify the staff that this child had a gun on his person. There were def other things but after this, I was out. It's scary because we weren't in a position to protect ourselves or other students.

[erbear]

Sept 8, 2024 11:52:55 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

Sept 8, 2024 10:45:35 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

To be honest, I am taking the mother’s account with a grain of salt. We don’t actually know what she told the school.

Especially because I’d like to believe if someone calls to report that their child at school has threatened to shoot up the school right then and there, the protocol isn’t for unprotected school staff to randomly look for the kid without a sense of urgency.

This is all so bizarre and maddening.

Well it seems the Washington post verified with text messages and a 10 min phone log that she was talking to the school for 10 minutes. Whether or not she said specifically he has a gun what I meant that it’s really shitty that school staff has to go search for a child that is a threat and that a gun has to be considered a possibility in this country in a child’s back pack. They did take someone’s back pack and I’m sure many school staff has unfortunately had to deal with the threat or has found a gun on school grounds.

As someone who also works in a field where the threat of violence including gun violence is ever present when we’re just trying to do our jobs is fucked up.

We actually had a recent pretty big security breach and threat recently and thankfully all the people did was yell and traumatize people in the waiting room. However a staff member did end up getting fired for what happened cause they thought they didn’t do enough to stop the threat. My point was it’s really fucked up that us regular people who have no desire to carry guns or stop people with guns are put in these positions in professional settings.

All of this. I have been called on more times than I care to count to search a kid's backpack or locker for a weapon. THIS IS NOT MY JOB.

[wanderingback]

Sept 8, 2024 19:58:10 GMT -5 erbear said:

Sept 8, 2024 11:52:55 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

Well it seems the Washington post verified with text messages and a 10 min phone log that she was talking to the school for 10 minutes. Whether or not she said specifically he has a gun what I meant that it’s really shitty that school staff has to go search for a child that is a threat and that a gun has to be considered a possibility in this country in a child’s back pack. They did take someone’s back pack and I’m sure many school staff has unfortunately had to deal with the threat or has found a gun on school grounds.

As someone who also works in a field where the threat of violence including gun violence is ever present when we’re just trying to do our jobs is fucked up.

We actually had a recent pretty big security breach and threat recently and thankfully all the people did was yell and traumatize people in the waiting room. However a staff member did end up getting fired for what happened cause they thought they didn’t do enough to stop the threat. My point was it’s really fucked up that us regular people who have no desire to carry guns or stop people with guns are put in these positions in professional settings.

All of this. I have been called on more times than I care to count to search a kid's backpack or locker for a weapon. THIS IS NOT MY JOB.

Yep exactly. I’ve never had to search for a weapon but healthcare workers are at significant risk that is significantly higher than most professions for workplace violence. It makes it so much worse knowing how gun happy our culture is. Guns are the problem.

[Velar Fricative]

Now online musings elsewhere are veering into “this could have been prevented by school staff after the mother called” territory. Sigh.

We still have no idea what the mother told the school, but sure, let’s blame teachers and admins for this. Not to mention, the shooter was already having attendance issues this early in the school year and another kid in the happened to have a very similar name to the shooter; it’s not due to nefarious intent that the two were mixed up.

[basilosaurus]

Sept 9, 2024 5:29:51 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

Now online musings elsewhere are veering into “this could have been prevented by school staff after the mother called” territory. Sigh.

We still have no idea what the mother told the school, but sure, let’s blame teachers and admins for this. Not to mention, the shooter was already having attendance issues this early in the school year and another kid in the happened to have a very similar name to the shooter; it’s not due to nefarious intent that the two were mixed up.

Unless "it could have been prevented" is the start and it ends with "by gun control" I'm not at all interested.

[fernweh]

Sept 9, 2024 5:29:51 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

Now online musings elsewhere are veering into “this could have been prevented by school staff after the mother called” territory. Sigh.

We still have no idea what the mother told the school, but sure, let’s blame teachers and admins for this. Not to mention, the shooter was already having attendance issues this early in the school year and another kid in the happened to have a very similar name to the shooter; it’s not due to nefarious intent that the two were mixed up.

There was a lot of blame on the teachers and administrators after the Oxford MI shooting as well. None were charged but I believe that there was a lawsuit that was later dismissed.
It’s disgusting- let’s blame teachers instead of the easy access to guns. Okay.

[mrshandy]

DS is starting high school this year and they have banned phones in the classroom. The teachers have a container they all go in at the beginning of class and then they pick up them up after class. The container is carryable so the teachers can take it with them in an emergency. They can have them in the hallways. As much as some people are concerned about this, I'm fine with banning phones during class and I feel like the solution they have come up with is good. But we'll see how it goes.

[basilosaurus]

Sept 8, 2024 13:55:51 GMT -5 chedifuen said:

Sept 7, 2024 2:47:58 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

Q for those (legitimately) concerned that phone noise would be a safety risk, do teachers have the ability to ensure phones are silenced?

Or is keeping them in a central open location presumable away from kids and teachers considered enough risk mitigation?

At our school, all personal electronics are locked in a bag that disables it from receiving notifications. Kids carry the bag in their own backpacks. 

Interesting. I'd read about bags that are locked when kids get to school and unlocked when they leave, but I didn't know it also acted as a faraday cage.

[rachers]

I tabled a Be Smart for the Pediatric Association here on Friday and it was so heartbreaking listening to people’s responses, so many nurses and doctors who have first hand experience handling gun violence victims.

A few people countered the whole “it’s a mental health problem, not a gun problem” but after a few minutes of discussion hopefully I changed a few minds. We’ll see.

Quite a few local politicians too so that was good!

[katfco]

There are ways kids can work around the locked bags. Some will give a “dummy” phone, or just claim to not have one.

[wanderingback]

Sept 9, 2024 9:44:14 GMT -5 katfco said:

There are ways kids can work around the locked bags. Some will give a “dummy” phone, or just claim to not have one.

Yes but that doesn’t mean the policies should go away or not attempted. Kids (and adults) are always going to find ways around rules. No one is naive enough to believe that it is going to be perfect all the time with everyone following the rules 100% of the time in this culture. If 85% of people follow the policy and lock their phones it’s still an improvement.

[katfco]

Sept 9, 2024 10:14:42 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

Sept 9, 2024 9:44:14 GMT -5 katfco said:

There are ways kids can work around the locked bags. Some will give a “dummy” phone, or just claim to not have one.

Yes but that doesn’t mean the policies should go away or not attempted. Kids (and adults) are always going to find ways around rules. No one is naive enough to believe that it is going to be perfect all the time with everyone following the rules 100% of the time in this culture. If 85% of people follow the policy and lock their phones it’s still an improvement.

I agree. My school is only cracking down on cell phones this year and I love it.

[jinkies]

Yeah kids absolutely used dummy phones for the phone cubby when DS was in middle school, but at least a majority of the phones were out of kids hands. It was better than nothing.

Now that my DD is in middle school, they have changed the policy and kids are not allowed to have their phones during school hours at all-- they must be kept in lockers, even during lunch.

I support them not having phones during the school day. I can't get my H to focus on me half the time bc he's multitasking on his phone. I can't imagine trying to keep the attention of 25 middle schoolers with phones, especially in an emergency.