here is no such thing as joking about guns and bombs," said Eric Hartwig, principal of Menlo-Atherton School, in the aftermath of last week's school shootings at Santana High School near San Diego.
School authorities "can't afford to pooh-pooh threats to student safety because school safety is far and away the most important school issue, even in a situation where it masquerades as a joke," he said.
Mr. Hartwig said students have an obligation to come forward to tell an adult if they are aware of something potentially dangerous such as a kid saying he's bringing a bomb to school or is known to have a gun. He has promised to sensitively handle the situation if a student steps forward with information about possible threats.
Woodside High Principal Linda Common could not be reached for comment for this story. Menlo-Atherton also has updated its school "lock-down procedure" that would take effect when there's a suspected danger on campus, such as someone wielding a gun.
The procedure, designed to protect the school's 2,000 students and 150 teachers in case of danger, would begin when Mr. Hartwig gets on the school intercom and broadcasts a coded message.
Teachers know this is a signal to immediately close and lock all classroom doors and windows, draw the curtains and keep all students in the classroom and ignore the usual dismissal bells.
Mr. Hartwig said he met with two teacher groups last week to work out the mechanics of the procedure and educate them about the goals before having a trial run. He said he plans to educate students and parents about the plan and the importance of school safety.
Fortunately, the principal said, he has never had to use the lock-down procedure in his six years at Menlo-Atherton.
