News

Monday, October 12, 2009

San Marcos High School’s lockdown last week, an update from principal Norm Clevenger

As many of you know we had a lockdown at San Marcos High School on October 1st based on information from an adult that he had seen four juveniles across the street speaking to some people in a car in the shopping mall parking lot. It appeared to the witness that one of the youths held a black gun in his hand.

The school was immediately placed on lockdown. Over the next several hours a great many members of law enforcement came on to our campus and insured the safety of all of our students. They also began an investigation into the witness report working with the school administration. When it was finally determined by law enforcement that they had these four youths in the office, it was determined that we could safely move the students out of the classrooms to a secure area where they would have access to restrooms. Students were moved one room at a time to either the gym or the theater. They were then provided with food and bottled water. Teachers stayed with the students to continue to supervise and support them.

When law enforcement was confident that students were no longer in danger, they were released in shifts to go home. Parents had been called to let them know that their students were soon to be released. Students’ belongings, other than the keys to their vehicles were left in the locked classrooms. It had not yet been determined if law enforcement needed to search backpacks, purses, etc.

Officers determined that the suspected weapon was in fact, a black sports drink bottle. When all was said and done the students involved were released to their parents with no charges being filed. Some appropriate issues with these students were addressed and dealt with the next day by the school administration.

As you might guess, this was quite an ordeal for everyone involved. However, in looking back I have to say that a lot of positives came out of this unfortunate incident. Most importantly, the faculty and administration were able to secure the safety of the entire student body in less than five minutes time. The administration, counselors and campus supervisors worked alongside law enforcement to do a thorough investigation of the incident. During this time our staff and faculty were able to keep students calm, safe and as comfortable as possible for several hours.

I am extremely proud of the efforts and professionalism of our faculty, staff and administration. They did a wonderful job in handling a most difficult situation. I am even more proud of our students. They were extremely cooperative. They were also very empathetic and comforting to their fellow students who were understandably anxious and stressed.