Comments on: School freaks out because students making a science video with an umbrella were mistaken for school shooters

By: donovan acree

donovan acree — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:22:00 +0000

How can you say that? Did you even watch the video. It was a security guard who alerted administration.

I don’t see how anyone would have been shot. I suspect you enjoy spreading FUD.

By: EH

EH — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 23:31:00 +0000

In other words, within a year of Columbine.

By: Imran

Imran — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 21:27:00 +0000

Just after starting college, a set of my friends and I were held at MP-5 point by several local police officers, downtown at mid day, because someone saw us flipping the belt on his trench coat around and *assumed* it was an “assault rifle”. This was in the year 2000.

By: Mark Shellenberger

Mark Shellenberger — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:56:00 +0000

Yeah, I hoped that was the case…the majority of your comment was supportive of mine… sometimes threaded comments can make things less clear. :-)

I’ve seen commentary of “they have cameras in the HS?” or “what kind of idiot thinks an umbrella is a gun?”. People need to step back and imagine what it would be like to have that kind of responsibility for the lives of all those people.

A quick, non-lethal response solved the situation almost before anyone knew it was occurring. Students may have been frightened but that’s going to happen…and I say that as the father of a child who will most certainly be frightened when this happens.

By: Greg Lester

Greg Lester — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:44:00 +0000

Sorry, Mark, I didn’t mean to suggest that you were mocking, just that the general knee-jerk response online has involved a lot of eye-rolling.

By: Mark Shellenberger

Mark Shellenberger — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:04:00 +0000

I wasn’t mocking. I fully support the actions that the HS admins and police in UD took yesterday.

Your addition of the Springfield incident just supports what the administrators did. Thanks for adding it.

By: OccupyIdeas

OccupyIdeas — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:34:00 +0000

This is a reality check for all those who have been calling for school officials to start carrying weapons. If that had been the case at this school, there’s a good chance that these kids would have been shot dead.

By: Greg Lester

Greg Lester — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:05:00 +0000

We’re quick to mock, but I am also sure admins were also thinking of what happened not too long ago in adjoining Springfield Township High when a kid brought a rifle to school.

By: Mark Shellenberger

Mark Shellenberger — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 13:29:00 +0000

I’m surprised it wasn’t more wide spread phenomenon yesterday. The administrators had to make a quick decision and the safety of the students was their main priority.

You and I weren’t there. We didn’t see the video and we weren’t charged with the safety of a thousand students.

Alternate reality:
“I thought it was just an umbrella” says John Smith who was watching the security monitors that day. ”Until the shooting started everything seemed like students acting out a school skit.” Imagine the second guessing then.

The students weren’t removed from school. Everyone had a bit of a scare and it was dealt with professionally within 25 minutes. It helps that the UD police department is right across the street from the HS.

By: EH

EH — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 09:18:00 +0000

If there are no copycat murderers, we will have to invent them.

By: Gillian Pilgrim

Gillian Pilgrim — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 08:40:00 +0000

At the moment, everyone is terrified. Deal with it.