LAWTON Okla_ Lawton
Public Schools' security and faculty put Eisenhower High School on lockdown Tuesday
morning after word of a shooting threat surfaced.
An
Eisenhower High student received a text message from her boyfriend Tuesday morning
asking if she'd heard about what was supposed to happen at school. When she
said no, he relayed the message of a possible shooting. She notified her
parents, who contacted the principal. The school was immediately put on
lockdown and within the hour all parents received a message letting them know
about the threat.
Superintendent
Barry Beauchamp was proud of his staff. He said they acted quickly and
efficiently. As far as school officials and police know now, the threats have
turned out to be rumor, but Beauchamp said these days, nothing is taken
lightly.
Once
the principal of Eisenhower got word of the threatening message thread, he took
immediate action. Staff and security knew exactly what to do in a situation
like this.
"We
simply went into our secure mode," Beauchamp said. "We locked the building
down. There was one entrance coming in, and everybody came in through that. Everybody
went through the metal detector, and all bags and items were searched. We also
involved LPD at that moment to get them out there, as well."
Despite
the stress felt on the side of Eisenhower staff, the students had a relatively
normal day.
"The
building was very calm," Beauchamp said. "Kids were kids. We heard a few
rumblings about what was going on, ‘What's all this?' The kids were very
calm."
Some
parents, understandably so, did not share that same sense of calm. The school
received panicked calls, and some parents came to pick their children up for the
day. Fortunately, school officials say parents can now rest easy. It seems the
threats were nothing more than a giant game of "Telephone" gone wrong.
"We
now know, after a whole morning of investigation and talking to literally
dozens of kids, it was strictly a rumor," Beauchamp said. "One person made a
comment in a classroom during a discussion after the vandalism in the school. That
conversation or comment got extrapolated on out and embellished."
Rumor
or not, Beauchamp said he's proud of his staff. They executed safety measures
perfectly.
"Knowing
that we did everything that we could do," Beauchamp said, "And giving thanks
that it was a hoax or a rumor, you obviously feel like we at least understand
when these things arrive what we have to do, our community knows we don't blow
them off. We take them very seriously, and we're going to stay with it until we
get to the bottom of it. It's just that simple."
Beauchamp
said the biggest tragedy is the realization that school is no longer a safe
haven for children. He said the issue does not lie within the walls of a
school, but it's a societal problem.
"Unfortunately,
in our society, sensationalizing some of the negatives has become more popular
than just having a good quality lifestyle," Beauchamp said.
Mr.
Beauchamp told me they have narrowed it down and believe they've found the
source of this rumor. Of course, he couldn't discuss the student's repercussions,
but he said regardless of the fact that it has been proven to be rumor, they'll
continue keep the school tightly secure throughout the remainder of the week.
