by Jonah Sachs ‘20 

On Tuesday, November 27, students in an 11th grade English class found a .22-caliber bullet on the floor by a student’s desk. Minutes later, security arrived and the police were called, yet the handling of the situation as a whole was far from effective.

Forty minutes after the bullet was found, an announcement was made over the loudspeaker by Principal Eric Minus stating a lockdown was to occur while the police continued their investigation. The MCPD searched the premises outside the school — although according to many students and teachers, the other classes nearby were not checked — and found no trace of a weapon or ammunition. The search was concluded after lunch and the lockdown was over. At the end of the day, Minus presented the known information to students and faculty.

The protocol used during the investigation has been criticized by students and teachers alike, who were fearful for their safety that day. The delay in presenting information, for example, caused worrying and the warping of facts among students. According to junior Lauren Loebach, “[the administration] wasn’t saying anything about it, but everyone already knew what happened … them not giving us more information as it came just allowed for more rumors and panic to spread.”

With the spread of information so readily available in today’s world, rumors can be just as dangerous as, if not more so than, the truth. Some students, including junior Juliana Corn, pointed out that even still, they do not have a full grasp on what occurred. “I would still like to know if they found out who brought the bullet and if the person had a gun with them … but they never really told us what they meant when they said they secured the situation. They really told us nothing,” stated Corn.

Furthermore, the nature of the classroom sweeps did not impress very many people. Interviews with various other teachers around the school thought safety was a large issue that needs to be addressed. Stating that no one came to their classrooms to look for any weapon or more ammunition, some teachers said that, had there been a real threat to safety and security, the school would not have been adequately prepared and security very well could have been compromised.