In 2018 alone, there have been 18 incidents in which a gun was discharged on a school campus. However, it was the shooting  at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in which 17 students lost their lives to an active shooter, that raised the overall concern of the safety of public schools around the country, including Seminole High School.

“I think it’s horrible. I’ve been an educator for 34 years and the fact that we are dealing with gun violence in schools just really cleans my clock. It really wipes me away. It’s become far too prevalent. It’s shameful. I think this is an indication of what our society needs to look at and value and how we protect our children,” said principal Dr. Connie Collins.

Following this incident, many students in Florida began demanding change from the government on both the local and national level. These students are advocating for gun control in hopes of reducing the number of guns out on the street and keeping society safe. In fact, SHS student activists planned a walkout of their own on March 2.

Many public schools in Central Florida have been receiving false threats from students via popular social media platforms, like Twitter and Instagram. Most of these schools have taken these threats very seriously, and in some cases, even canceled school. Dr. Collins has had to address the school multiple times in the past two weeks regarding these issues.

“I know that there are other threats that have [become] viral around the country, but no direct threats [have come] to our school or others in the county. I think it’s a sick thing when people try to take advantage of the fears of others after a shooting to put out a hoax to further heighten the anxiety levels of all,” said Dr. Collins.

The police in Seminole County are staying alert by monitoring threats, both on social media and in the community, in order to keep people safe.

“Many of the ones we have been seeing have not been for our campus. They have often been from somewhere out of state or towards the Seminole that is further south. If the information is true, then the people at the county do their hacking and check all of the facts and then tell us what to do. So far, we have not had a legitimate threat to our campus,” said Officer Heather Smart, SHS’s head police officer.

Concerned parents and students are trying to figure out what to do in the case that a true emergency could occur on campus. Administration intends to reassure students that remaining in a locked classroom in a quiet and calm manner is the best strategy.

“I agree with locking the door and staying in the classroom. That’s what safety officials tell us is the safe thing. My understanding is [that] even at Parkland, the shooter tried locked doors, and then moved on. We can’t guess what someone sick enough to do this would do, but that has been the typical safety precaution. Up until this point, no one has ever been shot inside a locked classroom. That’s a pretty good track record,” said Dr. Collins.

As it stands, our school security is maintaining its current policies to keep students safe.

“We are not changing any of our policies. The same policies still stand; keep the doors locked at all times and practice our code red drills. That also means making sure all of our gates are locked to keep kids safe on campus,” said Officer Smart.

Both SHS administration and our police officers are instructing students to follow the proper safety precautions during drills and during the case of a real emergency.

“Stay off your phones and stay invisible. Don’t laugh, it’s not a joke. Some feedback we get from administration is ‘We can hear the students in the classroom laughing and joking.’ The reason we have you guys hide is so that when it’s quiet and the doors are locked, the intruder will keep moving. Practice as if it was a real situation and stay off your phones,” said Officer Smart.

Superintendent Walt Griffin recently released a statement regarding the tragedy.

“I want to ensure you that the number one priority of Seminole County Public Schools remains to create a safe learning environment for all of our students, faculty, and staff,” he declared. “[We will] continue to prepare for the worse by doing code red drills at all of our schools multiple times each school year. Its time to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. All of us must be a part of the solution; from students to families, faculty and staff; our local law enforcement; and our elected officials.”

Students can help be a part of the change to create a safer learning environment by contacting an adult or telling a teacher about what they have seen or heard. Together, we can be a part of the change in this time of tragic events.