Rumors

Art academy. It's one of those days where I find a comfortable place to sit and hope I have something interesting to read. The day went much as expected.

Then, in third period, the teacher next door poked her head in (all the art classrooms were connected on the inside). She had been told to keep the students in class at the bell (we had about five minutes until the end of the period). We weren't on lockdown, but the students weren't to leave.

So, third period ended, fourth period started, and we waited. Since there hadn't been a formal announcement over the PA, I wasn't terribly concerned, expecting them to let the students go at any moment. The students kept themselves entertained.

It was a digital art class, so it was a computer lab. A bunch of the students took group pictures via their computers. Many sat and talked. I watched, making sure they didn't get into anything that they shouldn't. (They didn't.)

One of the girls approached me. She told me that she had just gotten a text from her mother. The mother had been informed (via a system that keeps parents apprised of school situations--generally used so that parents can track their student's grades throughout the semester) that the school was on lockdown. For an "unknown substance" found in the office. And that law enforcement was on campus.

Lovely.

As a sub, I don't get district email, so I had no way of getting this information. (A definite flaw in the system.)

They finally lifted the lockdown. Fourth period lasted about fifteen minutes, so the lockdown wasn't too long. And then the rumors started flying.

One girl said that her mother had told her to break out a window and make a run for it. Others talked of differing cell phone policies--some teachers let the students call their parents, others enforced the no cell phone rules. (I didn't make a decision on cell phones. I did not actually see any of them on their phones, so it hadn't come to that.)

As for the reason for the lockdown, I heard many different stories. Eventually I got what I think is the truth: administration searched a student for drugs; the "substance" thought to be drugs wasn't. (Now, embellish that, and you'll get an idea of the rumors.)