This Close To Being The Next School Shooting

Yesterday we received a call from our oldest daughter, a high-schooler, letting us know that she had heard the middle school was under a "lock-down," and that her little sister would not be able to come home after school. Their were rumors of armed criminals running around the school and the students would not be allowed to leave until the authorities were sure the threat was neutralized.

How close did our daughter's school come to being the next Red Lake? Well, any answer would be purely speculative, but we did receive a letter from the school principal today, describing the events. According to his letter, "Our local police had pulled over a driver of a motor vehicle who had been driving erratically. The driver crashed his vehicle during the pursuit and indicators of a portable meth lab were also present. The driver fled on foot and headed toward our direction."

Accounts differ as to whether the assailant was armed, but a number of children of law enforcement officers are claiming their parents insisted there was. I have not been able to verify that, but it is certainly possible. Here's how the principal describes tense moments at the school.

"Substitute teacher (name omitted)...was asked by me to stand by the rear door in the 62 CORE wing. Within minutes of standing there, the suspect was at that door attempting to enter our building. (Teacher) immediately reported the incident to me. Seconds later (another teacher) and I radioed each other that we both saw the intruder outdoors in the back parking lot area. Police were immediately summoned to our school in an effort to arrest this person."

Long story short, a substitute teacher, a hero in my book, stood her ground at a back door of the school and refused the assailant entry to the school. The assailant is a known meth-user, may have been armed, and was in a desperate situation. My wife noted today that thinking about the possibilities made her physically ill.

I know the feeling.

Thanks to our principal and staff for their quick reaction to a dangerous situation, keeping their heads as events unfolded, and protecting our kids until the coast was clear. I don't want to think about what might have happened if they were not so prepared.