News crews at my dd high school

[jas]

This morning when I went to drop off my dd at her high school there were four news crews there.

DD just casually mentioned that yesterday the cops were all over the school. That there had been some bomb threat. I asked her if they evacuated and she said "No". She didn't seem to bothered by it and I just thought she must be mistaken or something. The one night I didn't watch the news. Argh!

So this morning when all the tv trucks were there she was like "oh that is probably about that guy they arrested yesterday!"

I zipped home to try and catch the morning news and this is what is/was going on

Student Arrested For Alleged Bomb Plot - News Story - WFTV Orlando

You always think the nuts live somewhere else. NOT SO!

[baxjul]

I think all the nuts live in Florida!

[valerian]

Nah, they're everywhere! Especially in North Carolina!

[frugal.lass]

I know that for most bomb threats at schools, they DON'T evacuate the school right away. When I was in highschool, we had a few bomb threats and when the school wasn't evacuated, there was some concern. I was a member of the student government/PTA "delegation" that went to speak with the police to find out why the school hadn't been evacuated. I don't remember all the reasons but here is some of what stayed with me (whether or not I fully agree with it):

• most bombs found in schools are made at home by students...they tend to be "less serious" bombs (pipe bombs, "works" bombs) that would not be able to penetrate walls. During bomb threats (at our school anyways), students were all kept in classrooms (lockdown) and not allowed to wander the halls/cafeteria until the police had done their sweep because the likelihood of the bomber leaving something in a classroom is much less (its rare that they would have time to access a classroom when it is completely unoccupied in order to set the bomb up)
• bombs found in schools are more often found in hallways/cafeterias instead of classrooms, having people evacuate would mean a large number of people would be passing through the hallways...if the police have not yet located the bomb, the people evacuating would probably pass right by, potentially triggering it and causing it to explode while the hallway is full of students
• there are concerns of booby-trapping, the bomber may set up bombs to detonate after being triggered by a "tripline" or other simple mechanism that, once again, students panicking during an evacuation wouldn't notice and avoid
• there are concerns that the bomber would remain near the scene and attempt to harm people evacuating (have you seen the scenes of schools being evacuated? often groups of students are run out of the school while being accompanied by police...the "every man for himself" evacuation is chaotic and more likely to result in injury)
• in a mass evacuation, if the bomber IS still around, its much easier for him to disappear in the crowd during the evacuation

There were a few more things he mentioned but, its been over ten years and not everything stuck with me. Its still scary to hear that there was a bomb threat at your school but I just wanted to calm any fears you may have had about the school not being evacuated. Now, if they didn't do a lockdown during the scare...THAT would be something to be concerned about.

[jas]

frugal.lass, when you put it that way maybe it is safer to leave the kids it the classrooms. I will have to ask dd if they were ever on lock down. It might have been that they didn't think he had already set any out yet. Idk.

It is so sad that these days our kids have to worry about sooo much more than in the past.

[jas]

I think all the nuts live in Florida!

We do have our fair share don't we!! I think Nancy Grace and Jane Valez Mitchell would go off the air if it were not for Florida. Court TV too!

[McD]

jas, a local school recently had a bomb threat as well. The building was not evacuated, but parents were notified and given the option to pull their kids.

Bomb threat reported at Indianola High School | desmoinesregister.com | The Des Moines Register

That article details the response the high school took. Might be interesting for a comparison.

[daughter of pearl]

When I was a kid, spent some time in Belfast, you planned bomb threats into your day, cos there were so many. For example:

I need to pick up milk at the grocery store (if there's a bomb threat, I might have to walk to the next block to the other store, add five minutes)

I need to take the bus to my doctor's appointment (if there is a bomb threat, the bus will not be running, so I should carry a little extra money to go halvies on a cab with someone else going in that direction.)

Ah, life skills!

Jas, I'm glad that everything with your daughter and her school turned out alright in the end...it is scary stuff, yeah? My comments about my childhood are in no way intended to minimize how serious and scary this stuff is.

[jas]

jas, a local school recently had a bomb threat as well. The building was not evacuated, but parents were notified and given the option to pull their kids.

Bomb threat reported at Indianola High School | desmoinesregister.com | The Des Moines Register

That article details the response the high school took. Might be interesting for a comparison.

Thanks! They said they would send home a note today to explain the actions they took and why.

I guess it is not as cut and dry to have everyone leave the building.

it would have been nice to get some kind of notice when it was going on. We have the e-mail alert system too and the automated phone calls. This kid was plucked right off the computer in the library he was already in the school. With most of the stuff to do the deed.

[jas]

When I was a kid, spent some time in Belfast, you planned bomb threats into your day, cos there were so many. For example:

I need to pick up milk at the grocery store (if there's a bomb threat, I might have to walk to the next block to the other store, add five minutes)

I need to take the bus to my doctor's appointment (if there is a bomb threat, the bus will not be running, so I should carry a little extra money to go halvies on a cab with someone else going in that direction.)

Ah, life skills!

Jas, I'm glad that everything with your daughter and her school turned out alright in the end...it is scary stuff, yeah? My comments about my childhood are in no way intended to minimize how serious and scary this stuff is.

Well the way this world is going that does not seem that it would be impossible in the future to have to think daily about those things Hope it would be a long way off.

[jas]

On the noon news they said he is at home with his parents now. Not in jail or juvie. Just home under his parents watch. No monitor. Of course he is not allowed on school property.

The news said he had everything except one item that he could get in one of his next classes. Some kind of shop class.

Not saying that his parents aren't on top of things, but hey this could have been very serious and lives could have been in danger or lost. Even one would be toooooooo many. He just gets to go home. What if they are like a lot of people and have jobs and can't sit and babysit him? He strolls off to do who knows what who knows where.

[McD]

Legally, there is only so much they can do until his trial where he is found guilty/innocent.

He may be charged and his parents posted bail already. Also, he might have a monitoring device? Who knows....

Hopefully, he gets a punishment fitting of the crime.

[KathleenCG]

The school administration (principal) should have sent a communication to the students' homes on the same day that the incident took place (written [for the students to take home with them that very same day] and e-mail). There is NO excuse for you having had to find out this information from your child. I would file a written complaint with the Principal, the School Superintendent, and School Board if this happened in my daughter's school.