March roars in like a lion for Blue Devils
Written by Sadie Marsh and Chuck Logsdon
HC got off to a rough start on Mar. 1st due to various situations all taking place at once. Tips of a loaded gun on campus had the administration and law enforcement on high alert, unbeknownst to students. Many students were confused about how the school went from Principal Paul Little’s announcement to the attendance office swarming with students and parents.
Students were informed during second period that the threat had been dealt with. According to Little, no additional threat was found for the rest of the day. A notification email was sent to parents, informing them of the situation. This did not stop numerous students from checking out. On Friday, Mar. 2nd, 1,522 students of the total 2,168 were absent.
Little wrote a second email to parents about the incident Thursday evening.
“Although we had confiscated the gun before school even started, many families checked their children out of school,” Little explained.
HC English teacher Nell Whitman blames the fear many students felt on the local news and social media.
“People very easily fall victim to the media frothing up fear,” Whitman said. “I’m disappointed that local media engaged in incendiary reporting, which fed into the fears of uneasy parents and students.”
The blame does not fall solely in the hands of the local news. The recent political and social climate in the U.S. has made students ever more aware of the threat that guns hold. Many have turned on school officials and officers, stating that they don’t care enough. Whitman believes that school officials are just as motivated as students, if not more, to see changes in gun safety.
“School officials don’t need to be placed by student advocates for gun safety in an adversarial role,” Whitman said. “There’s no set of people that are more committed to the safety of children.”
HC senior and Student-Body President Reagan Smith placed blame of the vicious spread of rumors on social media.
“Over time the message as to what actually happened [as well as] any additional threats had changes,” Smith said. “It was like a game of telephone.”
This “game of telephone” contributed to various rumors being spread throughout the school, disrupting the previously calm students.
“Those of us who have taught in Fayette County for many years recognize the propensity that families have to over-react to rumors, rather than encouraging their children to respond rationally and calmly.” Whitman said.
Little responded with similar thoughts.
“We have to help [students] recognize that sharing unfounded rumors and false information is causing heightened anxiety unnecessarily,” he said.
Some members of HC’s population expressed that the adults in the community need to show a commitment to rational thinking and problem solving, rather than being so quick to react. Despite some criticism from students and parents, Little believes that the administration handled the situation efficiently and accurately.
“You don’t want to communicate too quickly,” Little said. “You want to make sure that you’ve checked out every avenue.”
Under the circumstances, many believe the HC administration made the best of a bad situation. Little was very thankful that the situation went the way it did (not that it occurred) and that no one was hurt.
“Not that it makes a big difference, because it was still a loaded gun, but the student that had it was cooperative.” Little said. “There was no struggle; he didn’t pull it on anyone. He did not come here with the intentions to hurt, or carry out a school shooting.”
Despite the communication from Little, some students felt as if they were out of the loop, and uninformed about the situation.
“I think they definitely could have told us more,” HC freshman Matthew David Klee said. “But it was good that they came on the intercom and said that they had it controlled before school started.”
Whitman believes yesterday’s incident came from the hunger for drama that is embedded within our society, stating that, “it is degrading to the foundations of our community.”
While administration stressed the importance to get the correct message out, the way the local media rushed to the scene and took student interviews was viewed by many as unprofessional.
“I respect people working,” Little said. “But if you watch any news show, it’s 98% bad news and then a little feel good story at the end.”
A tweet sent out by @HLpublicsafety stated that any HC student missing school on Friday would be given an excused absence. While the absence has its validity, some students feel like it is being taken lightly.
“I think most of them stayed home because it was excused,” HC sophomore Jessica Cox said. “So why not.”
This attitude was present in many of the 647 students who attended school on Friday. Several seniors felt as if their classmates were taking advantage of the situation by taking the excused absence.
Following the incident, Little had time to reflect before returning to school.
“I do love the students here and their safety is very important to me,” Little said.