Intense Statements/Discussion About Safety
By Josh Resnek
Nearly two hours of heated and at time passionate debate, and a succession of gut wrenching statements from parents of Everett High School students delivered during the public speaking session before the meeting produced profound interactions between School Committee members, police officials, the school superintendent and the public.
The issue: the safety protocols in force and what is being proposed and in the pipeline to tamp down violence which has been plaguing the high school.
Secondarily, a great deal of time was spent detailing the response of all Everett public officials and school administrators to the lock down of the high school necessitated by a call indicating there might be someone carrying a gun and planning to use it inside the school.
Police Chief Steve Mazzie told the School committee he believed the right call had been made and the right thing had been done by nearly everyone involved during the incident.
He said no one was arrested. No weapons were found. The situation was resolved successfully without any students being injured.
That lockdown and the resulting angst it caused, was evident throughout the long debate about what was done, what should be done and what can be done to stop a situation like that from happening again.
Four parents of Everett High School students recalled their fears and terror after learning of the lockdown. They all complained about feeling helpless and of being left out of the loop when they believed their children’s lives were apparently being threatened.
Continue reading “School Security Questioned Following Response to High School Lockdown”
