Thank you, wdell, for giving the point of view from "inside the walls". You make some very valid points. It is a terrible thing that our children's schools have the potential to be a deadly place. It is also terrible that the people with whom we entrust our kids are not safe either. I, for one, truly appreciate my child's teachers and school leadership.

That said, as a concerned parent, I feel there needs to be a procedure in place to communicate to parents when a lockdown situation has occured. Maybe something could be done in conjunction with Emergency Management's telephone notification system, where a recorded message is sent to the phones of those affected.

To be proactive in commication can only help to tighten the school/home relationship.

Are you talking to me? I think you posted in the wrong spot.

not all parents can so easily volunteer. i personally know happymom and can say she volunteers when able but she does have to work. however she volunteers at other times. festivals, plays, programs and such. If you read her first post you would know she did call but no answers were given. I dont believe she was criticizing the teachers and staff just the failure to inform parents about a serious situation. My daughter was at coosa when the teacher was caught sexually abusing students. A letter regarding the matter went home the next day to all parents. If they had caught him during the day i'm sure a note would have been sent home the same day. With all the violence in school who can blame a parent for feeling they have the right to be notified. It's time to do something about this problem in our schools. make clear backpacks mandatory. school uniforms for all schools. I.D. cards worn around the neck for all students. As much as i do not like it, i think its time to open our eyes, suck it up and do what has to be done. if necessary dismiss classes ay the end of the day for all schools like elementary does it. as a class to each designated area. bus riders, car riders, etc. do locker a backpack checks bi-weekly. i would not prefer it, but if it keeps the kids safe and gets the bad ones out, then so be it.

Parents have to be part of the equation. For example, if I want to refer a child to special services and the parent says no, it's through. Parents must be advocates for their children when it is needed, not just to take the kid's side against the administration.

I agree wholeheartedly with sdcf3 and with anjil29920. I too know happymom and also happen to have a sister who teaches at BMS. I've heard the details of this event firsthand and I applaude the actions of the school and staff with regards to the shortlived partial lockdown. I also applaude the way the staff carefully explained the situation to the students. Their level of concern for their charges is very admirable. I agree with the policy of not giving out any information during any sort of crisis. Such information could easily cause a panic that could worsen the situation. In such cases the school staff and emergency personnel should be left to do what they have been so thoroughly trained to handle professionally and expediently. But, I also strongly believe that when such things occur that the school system should have a policy of issuing a written communique that explains the entire event in detail. And that document should be both sent home with each child immediately and also mailed to the parents to insure that they receive it. I happen to know for a fact that the threat was made against one and only one student (and not the entire class)and that no mention of a shotgun was ever made. But, what if after being informed in detail of what was going on, one student used his or her youthful imagination and embellished the story to others. And what if those others added their own twist when passing the new story along? Would it not be easy for a student or students to become a little worried and go home to their parents in fear? Would that in turn not cause the parent(s) to be a bit worried? Basically, a concise note delivered in a timely manner would belie any inaccurate embellishments and save a lot of frayed nerves.
The best laid plans can have a hole in them, but I would be willing to wager that the small glitch in this one has already been addressed and corrected.
The good news: the situation was well handled and the students of BMS were unharmed. A great staff doing their jobs well and ready to put themselves in harms way if necessary.
Despite what some people might say, Beaufort County has some of the finest and best equipped schools in the nation. They also have some of the finest teachers, administrators, and periferal staff anywhere. They take a lot of heat for things that do start at home (and should be corrected there), and it isn't deserved.