Students at Lamar High School say a recent lock-down, put in place after an 18-year-old student was shot and killed a block away, caused chaos and confusion among students.
“I was very scared,” said student Claire Romero. “I didn’t know was going on.”
“It was scary, you didn’t even know was going on,” said another student, Cortland James.
Students and parents reported that some kids hid, some ran and others left.
Haley Carter, Chair for Mayor Turner’s Commission Against Gun Violence, says community members have been reaching out to her in response to the lock-down.
“I’ve heard from many students, as well, that there was confusion,” said Carter. “They weren’t really sure they were in a lock-down. Many teachers were allowing them to leave. And that to me, it’s no fault of the teachers. I think it’s no fault necessarily of the school administrators… that just the highlights the gap that is there. And it’s not just at Lamar, it’s across the board.”
The Mayor’s Commission Against Gun Violence is made up of law enforcement leaders, the DA, school officials and community members, trying to find solutions to gun violence, specifically in schools across Houston.
Carter explains that one troubling trend the commission has uncovered is there’s no clear, standardized checklist for what to do during a lock-down.
“As a former Marine officer, I don’t like to necessarily liken a school response to combat, but, the reality is that in those situations things can be very chaotic. By developing a standard response, a standard procedure, a standard process for, if this then this, then everybody’s on the same page.”
“Time is of the essence and so to simplify things and to standardize things is huge.”
The commission recommends active shooter drills for students and teachers as regularly as fire drills and making sure technology, like cameras and PA systems are always working flawlessly.
“I hate that our children have to live like that and I hate that our children have to practice that but that is their reality.”
On Monday, the Commission will present Mayor Turner with its list of recommendations for school safety, a list it has been working on for several months. Mayor Turner will then take those recommendations to legislatures and try to work with Houston area school districts to come up with safety improvement plans.
KHOU reached out to HISD asking how the district feels Lamar High School handled Tuesday’s lock-down and if they see room for improvement. As of 10pm Wednesday, the district did not offer a comment.
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