Thursday, September 2, 2010

Hitting Too Close to Home

On Monday of this week, around 9:00 am, a man entered a high school, held a gun to the principal's head. The School Resource Officer (SRO) calmed the man enough for the principal to escape then led him away from the cafeteria and the library filled with students to the science pod. The Sheriff's Department arrived. The man brought the gun back out and the deputies shot him. He died some time later. All faculty, staff, and students were safe.

Did you hear about this? I heard about it around 10:30 Monday morning. This is a true story. It happened at a high school in the county I live in. A school that I passed by on my way to work on Wednesday. A school about 20 miles from the school where I work. A school where my son's school team played. A school where I know one of the teachers.

The SRO acted quickly. The Deputies arrived promptly. The school was locked down quickly. But there were students who heard the gun shots. The students knew the lock down was not a drill.

We had a lock down drill today. And I heard the principal say we will have many more this year. Last year we had one lock down and that was when the drug dogs came. The year before we only had one lock down, again when the drug dogs came.

Monday's incident was too close for comfort. I'm thankful we have an SRO. Can you believe that when the Sheriff requested more money from the county commission for SRO officers, the request was turned down? I remember reading a few years ago that the schools may have to for go having SRO officers. Maybe the Sheriff needs to find out how many people in the county are on anti-depressants, how many students live in unstable homes. Maybe that will help get the money. (The man did not have a student at the school. His motive has not been determined. But I did hear that the man "was not right." And that he was arrested a few years ago for possession of a weapon.)

Please continue, every day, every morning, to prayer for our public schools...for the safety of our students, faculty, and staff.

http://www2.tricities.com/news/2010/aug/31/incident-sullivan-central-high-school-ar-479580/

3 comments:

  1. It is scary huh? We had a bank robbery last year...man with a gun...and he came through our school in his escape on foot. It was during the change of classes. We went on lock down....but he was already in here with us. Since the Colorado, the Kentucky, and the Amish incident...it makes you think.

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  2. That is really scary! The world is more than a little bit crazy isn't it?

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  3. That was really scary, and way too close to home.

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