Being a parent can be terrifying. Aside from the every day challenges that raising a child brings, we sometimes encounter situations where everything is completely out of our control.
I had my first OH MY GOD WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? moment last week...when Angeline called me to tell me that there had been a shooting at her school and they were on lock down.
Of course, you know exactly what I thought when I heard this. It hasn't been very long. And quite honestly, I even Columbine is still on my mind. These horrific displays of human cruelty aren't easily erased from our memories. We go about our daily lives, we move on - but all it takes is those two words to bring it all rushing back: SCHOOL SHOOTING.
Angeline was upset, crying, terrified. She has been grounded from using her phone, so she used a friend's phone to call me and tell me what was happening. I reassured her that she would be okay, that the police were on scene and hunting down the suspect...
And then I cried. And then I called Chris and my mom and told them what was happening - and then of course, I posted it on Facebook so that people would know what was going on.
We live across the street from the school, and I could see the helicopters flying overhead.
As I scrambled to try to find out what was happening, I was shocked at the lack of information!
It was disturbing enough that the school wasn't notifying parents that their children were under a lock down - I mean, really, I am disgusted with Miami-Dade County Public Schools for not notifying parents that their children were in danger.
I checked online and didn't find anything through Google. I began searching all of our local news stations, and there was nothing there either. The only place I found anything was on Twitter.
And people laugh when I say that I get my news from Twitter!
All I could find out was that there was a burglary in the neighborhood, and that suspects had fled the scene and they thought they were on school property. That's not a lot of information to go on, but at least it wasn't an actual shooting at the school. An armed suspect on school grounds is horrible, don't get me wrong. But there's a world of difference between a school massacre and an armed gunman on school property.
In the end, the police caught the suspects and no one was hurt. Thankfully. Yet, this whole ordeal has put me on edge.
It's my responsibility as a mom to protect my child from harm. As much as we try to shelter her from things, we can not protect her from everything. Whether it be an armed suspect hiding on school grounds, a home invasion, a car accident - there are so many things out there that could go wrong...it is terrifying and overwhelming!
Every time I think about it, I just want to hug Angeline and tell her how much I love her. What else can I do?
Donna Cheatle
Those moments, those awful moments between when you hear something horrible is happening and when you hear your child's voice. I wish I could tell you that it gets easier as they get older. It really doesn't. Mine are 22 and 27 and I still get those moments.
deb
This would be terrifying. I'm so glad that everything worked out, but they really need to step up their notifications to parents. EM is homeschooled, but her curriculum is monitored through a public school and, even though we dont attend the actual school we still get recorded phone calls about everything (lock downs, school closings, etc). I LOVE how they step up and keep parents informed every step of the way.
So glad Angeline is safe.
Mellisa
This is so scary Jenn! I can only imagine the thoughts and feelings that you had as all of this was playing out. It's really unfortunate that all of these things are happening in our schools. My kids are so young and have just barely in school so it scares me to think how it will be in a few years.
Crystal
That is so scary. Every day when I drop my children off at school I get nervous but I have to trust that the teachers will do their best to protect my children.
Courtney
I'm seriously contemplating homeschooling M..
Jennifer
It was so scary when you posted this on Facebook. I really cannot believe that with everything that has been happening that the school district wouldn't have been letting everyone know that a shooting didn't happen on property.
Theresa
I'm so sorry Jenn.
TRICIA Nightowlmama
we have an automated system that we sign up for that alerts us when the school goes on lock down. already had 4 phone calls this yr from local bank robbery's, house break in, drug raides and etc. Omgosh I just made my neighborhood sound like the ghetto.
anyway Check to see if your school has a alert system to sign up for. OURs comes when the school gets their alerts from the police depart. I forget what they call it but we had to sign up online.
so sorry u had to go through that thank godness ur daughter had a phone to get a hold of u
Robin (Masshole Mommy)
I am so sorry that you had to go through this. I can't even imagine how terrifying it was for you not to know what was going on like that. I'm happy that everything turned out ok in the end.
HilLesha
My goodness! That is still scary, regardless. I feel like homeschooling my son, because too much goes on these days. 🙁
Jenn
Scary stuff! And thank goodness for Twitter, right?
Kelly
OMG, how frightening. I'm so glad that she and the other kids are ok.
S. Finger
Okay, that is terrifying and would totally suck as a parent. I can shed a little bit of light as to why you didn't know, usually if a lockdown happens we as teachers have no clue! Radio silence incurs therefore we can't find information on Google or even like on a scanner, so THAT BY NO MEANS IS AN EXCUSE, but just an explanation. I usually text my spouse and see if he can find out why, and don't find out until it's all said and done.
Jenn
Thank you for taking the time to comment, I appreciate it! That is crazy that even the teachers might not know what is happening!
Gene Caple
The problem is that when an incident occurs things are happening very fast. The responsible individuals are trying to make the school secure and ensure the students are safe. This can be a very hectic time and there may not be a lot of specific information available. The individuals in charge may not have enough information to accurately describe the situation. So to avoid releasing sketchy, incomplete, or inaccurate information they probably wait until they can relay accurate, factual information about what is happening. Wouldn't you rather the individuals in charge direct their time and efforts to ensuring the children are safe instead of stopping and releasing partial and possibly inaccurate information? The students safety and welfare are their first priority and when that is accomplished they will notify parents.