Three schools in Edgewood, Md., in Harford County, north and east of Baltimore (map), were placed on lockdown today, Wednesday, for about an hour beginning at 1:30 PM, the Baltimore Sun reports. Police were searching for a burglary suspect who had attempted to enter a nearby home and allegedly kicked the homeowner in the knee.
Police abandoned the active search for the suspect, and there was never any imminent threat to the school. The lockdown was simply a precaution, and for that, we applaud the administration at Edgewood High School, Edgewood Middle School, and Deerfield Elementary School, which all share a campus on Willoughby Beach Road. When the high school day was over, students who walk to school from the vicinity of the burglary were kept at school, and the article stated that a similar procedure was to be used for Edgewood Middle School walkers.
It was only 13 years ago that the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado touched off a national awareness of violence in schools. And although there was no clear and immediate threat to student safety here, the actions of school officials reflect a heightened awareness of violence against schools and students, as well as a heightened realization that although it may be nearly impossible to stop a determined intruder, schools need to have an action plan ready to go at a moment’s notice.
A day earlier, two men were shot in the head in the Upper Fells Point neighborhood of Baltimore, not exactly an impoverished part of town, for whatever that matters. Violence can happen anywhere, as the stabbing of a Towson University student just off the campus Sunday night proves. He was stabbed for his smartphone and is now clinging to life in an area hospital. The two men in Upper Fells Point are now dead. These events have hit me particularly hard, because some of my fondest memories of Baltimore happened in Fells Point, and I work right near the campus of Towson University at least 10 weeks out of every year.
Another Towson University student was reportedly walking near Towson High School in the wee hours of Friday, Nov 1, when her smartphone was also stolen. She wasn’t hurt physically in the assault, but these acts of violence should put schools on notice to remain on heightened alert to protect students, who are easier marks than college students or grown men. It’s better to be safe and lock down a school for an hour or so than to risk the safety of our students. Every single student probably carries a smartphone to school, and these devices seem to be hot right now. Furthermore, any encounter with someone who is prepared to go so far as to steal can turn violent in the blink of an eye, and we must keep our guard up.
How do you protect your smartphone? Do you have a plan to stay safe in the event someone should assault you on your way to school? What about when you’re in school? Now’s the time to develop a strategic plan for safety and practice it.
