3 days ago3 min read

School Safety

by Winston Chu 11/12/2024

Just a few minutes before the seventh period bell would have excused the remaining students on campus to return home on Nov. 6, the PA system suddenly announced the school was under shelter-in-place. Principal Harveen Bal instructed students in Drama, Journalism and Speech and Debate to stay in classrooms until further notice, along with student athletes and remaining faculty. Around half an hour later, the shelter-in-place was lifted.

“After we were made aware that there was a possible unidentified person with a knife on campus, we initiated the shelter-in-place and called the San Jose Police Department (SJPD). Both the administration and SJPD checked the campus to ensure everyone was indoors, including athletes practicing on the fields. Once it was safe, we made an announcement over the PA system and cleared the shelter-in-place,” Principal Harveen Bal said.

During this time, the school was also hosting Bret Harte Speech and Debate, a weekly program where students in Speech and Debate teach middle school students to craft public speaking skills at a young age. The program is led by high school event chairs who teach different events in different rooms, so these students had to work together to safely enforce the shelter-in-place order without any adults present.

“I was present during the seventh period shelter-in-place in one of the classrooms with middle school speech and debate students. We locked all the doors and told the kids to stay quiet, allowing them to work on other things quietly. Past shelter-in-place drills gave us a good idea on how to direct the class; I remember how my teachers responded and tried to emulate that. However, it was scary not knowing what was happening outside, and I felt cut off from the situation,” an anonymous student said.

Similarly, coaches and athletes in the middle of practice were affected by the shelter-in-place.

“After the shelter-in-place was announced, the team entered Ms. Larks's classroom. We were a little scared and shocked when we saw police outside, but we knew the situation would be handled by the police and the administration,” an anonymous athlete said.

This was not the first time shelter-in-place was triggered this school year. In August, Back to School Night ended early after staff noticed a man with a knife on campus. And on Nov. 1, the school went through a shelter-in-place at the end of second period that lasted nearly an hour because of a potential social media threat made by a student.

During the latter, rumors and speculation spread quickly, leading to the false classification of the school’s status as a lockdown instead of a shelter-in-place. While both terms are synonymous in the minds of many, there is a difference between the two. According to Bal, a shelter-in-place is a precautionary measure in response to dangerous scenarios, such as a gas leak, police activity far away or suspicious personnel nearby. Generally, doors should be locked, yet the lights can remain on and teachers and students can resume classroom activities as usual. On the contrary, lockdowns are initiated when a credible threat is actively present on campus. When this occurs, classrooms are required to lock and barricade the doors and turn off the lights, while students must silence their cell phones and stay absolutely silent.

“During a shelter-in-place, students do not know what is happening or the level of danger that the school is in, so it starts to worry them, leading to rumors and speculation. Then, their parents can also get worried, making the whole situation confusing and scary,” Junior Yusairah Asif said.

The administration received similar feedback from students and teachers requesting more context during shelter-in-places. Bal states the administration will try to provide additional information and directions over the PA if there are future threats—for example, whether or not it is safe to keep the lights on.

Adjacent to the school on Oct. 28, Bret Harte Middle School also experienced school safety concerns when a stranger walked onto campus and entered the girls’ locker room. When staff confronted his identity, he fled. Police were able to apprehend and arrest him two days later, according to ABC 7.

The school administration emphasizes its close collaboration with the district office and SJPD to address these concerns. To avoid rumors and speculation, students and parents are encouraged to rely on communication that comes directly from the district office via the PA system, ParentSquare and StudentSquare. In every instance of shelter-in-place, the district, admin and SJPD took swift action, remaining committed to protecting staff and students during school safety concerns.

About The Contributors

Winston Chu

Writer

Winston Chu is a junior at Leland High. This is his second year in Journalism, and his first year as a movie columnist. He enjoys speech and debate, watching television series, and sleeping.