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Crime & Safety

What To Do When Your Child's School is Locked Down

Earlier this week, Gulf Middle School was locked down due to a nearby shooting. Officials warn parents the worst thing they could do is to rush to the school to be with their child.

After a nearby shooting triggered a lockdown at Gulf Middle School earlier this week, it was natural for parents of children at the school to be concerned.

Some parents wanted to rush to the school to whisk their child away from harm. But New Port Richey police advise that could be the worst thing a parent can do.

On Monday, April 11, Gulf Middle School was locked down for hours as the and the Pasco County Sheriff's Office's SWAT team surrounded an apartment at 6435 Illinois Ave. A woman had told them earlier that , 21, had shot her in the leg at the unit that morning. Police removed two infants from her apartment, but a seven-month-old remained inside. Police didn't know if Booze was inside with her.  After the baby was removed safely, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office revealed that Booze had escaped earlier. Police were searching for him Monday afternoon. 

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"When we have a lockdown [at a school], it's for a reason," said New Port Richey police spokesman Lt. Steven Kostas. If a school is locked down, it's “because there is a bad situation in the area. If [parents] respond to the school and are waiting in the parking lot to get their kids out of school during a lockdown, they will put their children and themselves at risk as well."

Normally, a school is not ordered to be in a lockdown unless there is believed to be a potential danger to the students. Leaving a secure area, such as a locked down school, exposes the child -- and the parent -- to potential danger.

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On Monday,  "we were looking for a guy who shot his sister," Kostas explained. "We didn't know if he was in the [nearby] apartment or not. If he broke containment and took off, and parents are there to pick up their children, there is a potential to get a car jacked."

Summer Romagnoli, spokeswoman for the Pasco County school district, said lockdowns happen frequently as a precaution authorized by police.

"During a lockdown situation, no one can get on or off our campuses," Romagnoli said. "Therefore, parents are encouraged not to call the school.  ...Typically, when there is no immediate danger, or if a lockdown is only implemented for a short period of time, we send home a note at the end of the day or send home a school connect message to parents at the end of the day. "

Ginny Miller is a New Port Richey city councilwoman and a teacher at Gulf Middle School. She was present when the lockdown was ordered. Miller is adamant a locked down school is as safe for a student as their home, maybe more so.

"We train for exactly what happened [Monday]," Miller said. "We have a good procedure in place to keep the kids safe."

Part of that is having students file into classrooms that are secure. If any student is found to be walking the halls, said student is required to go to the nearest classroom.

"The best thing for a parent to do is to monitor the local media," said Miller, explaining when it would be safe for a parent to pick up a child from a locked down school. "My fellow teachers and all the staff at [Gulf Middle School], we drill with the kids for just such emergencies. I have been at other schools during a lockdown and the process works well.

I don’t know a teacher that is not prepared for a lengthy stay with the kids. You always have [planned] backups. "

Miller noted that Monday's lockdown didn't startle any teachers because they are prepared for such a circumstance.

"Teachers drill for all sorts of emergencies," Miller said. "It's not just lockdowns we drill for but weather and fire emergencies as well. We drill all year long, it's an ongoing process."

This story was last modified at 3:54 p.m.

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