You and all of your friends, enemies and other classmates are sitting in the corner of a dark classroom together, waiting for it all to be over. A loud popping noise in the distance confirms your worst fears. This is not a code red drill. This is the real thing.
People always say that will never happen here, but it can happen anywhere. In 2023 there were 38 school shootings, and there have already been 23 this year.
“My teacher had us sit in the band locker room while it was happening. We had to stay really close and quiet even though there wasn’t anyone walking around looking for students,” said Willow Spring High School sophomore Sahara Navarro.
Navarro was at Fuquay-Varina Middle School as an eighth-grade student Dec. 8, 2022, when another student decided to bring a gun into the school and fire it, missing a teacher and shattering an exterior window.
Just a few days ago, Apalachee High School in Georgia fell victim to a school shooting. This homicidal event sparked memories of the FVMS incident, as well as igniting fear that it can happen anywhere.
To combat this worry, WCPSS has decided to implement the Say Something app, an anonymous tip line style app that lets students, staff and anyone else tell schools about potential threats. This is in addition to the tip line that you can currently call to report danger.
The Say Something app was created after the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre by the Sandy Hook Promise organization. The parents of the 20 children who were killed in the shooting created this organization to keep these types of tragedies from happening again. Once FVHS rolls this program out, it will be as easy as texting someone to report suspicious behavior.
After the shooting at FVMS, people within the Fuquay-Varina community wanted to know why this tool hadn’t already been implemented in Wake County.
The Say Something app has mixed reviews from FVHS staff.
“I think it’s a good idea, if it’s moderated appropriately. Teenagers can sometimes over-report things that aren’t an immediate crisis, and that would detract and take away from our ability to respond to things that were of high importance,” said assistant principal Ben Olin.
FVHS and most other schools also have a School Resource Officer (SRO), a police officer who handles emergencies in the school. These emergencies range from shooting threats to fights in the cafeteria. Their main responsibility is to keep students in their school safe.
“It’s just a matter of see something, say something, and don’t let people in through the side doors,” said FVHS SRO Ross Cooper.
Side doors are very important yet also very dangerous. They are helpful because they let students out at the end of the day or during a fire drill. The problem arises when people come in through these side doors with harmful intent.
Last year, a student from another high school was let into our school through a side door. He then went into the building and pulled a fire alarm, disrupting class for over half an hour. This is why we have to make sure that doors are closed, not just for potential shooters.
The best thing to do is to not open a door for anyone. If a student wants to get into the building late, they can go to the front door and get in the right way.
“A school is only as safe as the people that are in it allow it to be; everyone has to do their part. This includes teachers, students, custodians, maintenance, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and us administrators,” said Olin.
Between standard reporting, keeping doors secure and using the Say Something app, FVHS’ plan relies on the whole community to help keep itself safe and sound.
“The staff makes me feel safer, because there is always a staff member, always an admin there. I think having multiple admin and security staff around at all times is an amazing thing we have here,” said senior Jordan Enwereuzor.
The Say Something app will be introduced this year for all Wake County public schools, including FVHS.
This story was originally published on Roaring Bengals on September 18, 2024.
