Yes, I'm late posting today. I just couldn't bring myself to write a perfect post about something that happened yesterday, so let's just leave it at the bare facts.
I only found this out from a co worker who lives near our public school complex.
She texted me about 2:45 yesterday saying that the high school apparently was on lockdown. The school buses weren't being released to take students home; the entrance was blocked by police and she saw five police cars go up into the entrance area.
I wasn't at home at the time, and I didn't know anything about this. She texted back advising she was going to contact another co worker whose daughter is a teacher in another district.
She texted me back a few minutes later. Apparently there had been a bomb threat on social media. The students were being released from lockdown.
All in a day's work.
I can't seem to find media reports of this incident. Maybe that's what we've come to - this happens so frequently that it is no longer news. When I used a search engine, I found reports of so many bomb threats.
We do know what gets into the news. The community I used to work in until COVID is one of many, too many, communities that have suffered mass casualty shooting events in the past few years. Ours was in an adult classroom for immigrants. The shooter was a former student, also an adult.
But there is a lot more just underneath the surface of calm.
I have several relatives who are teachers (none in this area) and a couple of more who are retired teachers or paraprofessionals. My spouse also has a cousin or two who are teachers.
I don't even know what to say or think anymore.
They are in the thick of it, along with people I know who have school aged children.
Perhaps, for today, I'll just post a picture of a male Northern Cardinal in my yard, taken on May 8th. And, Monday, it will be Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. I'm going to spend this afternoon transplanting bedding flowers into planters. Good, happy things that will keep me busy.
Things that will take my mind off the grim things on this beautiful spring day.
I've also been trying to stay off of social media, so if it takes me longer to approve comments than usual, I hope you'll understand.
I will be back tomorrow with a timely post for Skywatch Friday.
Fortunately, from what I have seen, bomb threats are usually just that, threats. Many years ago a local high school where I lived had one, and the students were told NOT to leave campus. The daughter of friends lived nearby the school, and just left, walked home. Her parents defended her, although I can see they want to keep the students all together and have a head count. I think some students think it's funny to call in threats. Most of the laws now charge them. Good.
ReplyDeleteOh, a cardinal! I'd have to travel a long way east to see one. That would be exciting. Not the travel, the cardinal.
Sadly, such things are common. I remember almost 20 years ago now being on lockdown while the middle school class I was covering that day (maybe it was 9th grade) decided that wrestling each other was a good use of the time. I believe it was a bomb threat then, too. I imagine your incident didn't make the news as it was a hoax or some such. Lockdowns are pretty common, actually.
ReplyDelete...society is becoming crazier and crazier!
ReplyDeleteWhen my younger daughter was a high school senior, thee was a day she didn’t want to go to school because of a bomb threat. Some kid wrote a threat on a scientific calculator and left it in a classroom. It wasn’t a real threat, but the school nevertheless had to take it seriously. Scary world we live in.
ReplyDeleteIt is tragic to see mass shooting anywhere. The healing process will take its own toll.
ReplyDelete