What is going on at CHS right now?

My senior son and three friends just came home from CHS at 9AM stating there is police activity at school and they were told to leave.  I don't think I'm being duped by a hooky playing son.... 

My understanding is that there was a lockdown during fort period. My 9th grader thought he was supposed to leave but I think they were supposed to step back from the building. My kid is now in class.

Dear CHS Community,
This morning CHS administrators were informed of a potential safety issue. They worked with the Maplewood and South Orange Police Departments to go into a code yellow shelter in place during first period as a precautionary measure.  Shelter in place means that no one is permitted to enter or leave the building, but that classes continue as usual.  With the assistance of the police, the code yellow has now been lifted, and all students and staff are safe.  We are returning to a normal Wednesdayat CHS.
South Orange Maplewood School District

So... totally hooky. 

Our 10th grade daughter reports that they are still in code yellow lockdown. Kids are starting to get concerned. They are well into 3rd period now and it's been going on all morning.  I received a phone call with a message stating exactly what tjohn reported above.  So why are they still in lockdown?

maybe different code? Because my son was eventually let in during second period...

There is some discussion on CHS Families Facebook page about what prompted the lock down. Supposedly, some Freshman posted on Instagram that he would shoot up the school if he reached 1000 likes on an image of him holding some sort of long gun. I received texts from my daughter after the kids were let into the school. I can only hope that the administration and the police are holding the individual until the issue is resolved.

http://villagegreennj.com/schools-kids/code-yellow-alert-lifted-columbia-high-school/

Charged and released to his parent? Sent home, where the gun ostensibly is? Am I the only one who doesn't understand this?

val said:
Charged and released to his parent? Sent home, where the gun ostensibly is? Am I the only one who doesn't understand this?

I don't see where it says this.  

In any case, it's not enough information.  But I'm very confident the police would not take the situation lightly, so I'm sure there's much more to the story.  

I know the dad and I know there is NO GUN.  This appears to be a loud cry for help / attention.   

Login123 said:
I know the dad and I know there is NO GUN.  This appears to be a loud cry for help / attention.   

Yes, that was my impression too after hearing what my daughter and friends had to say about this.

Does the Dad ever check his son's social media accounts? 

Amused said:
There is some discussion on CHS Families Facebook page about what prompted the lock down. Supposedly, some Freshman posted on Instagram that he would shoot up the school if he reached 1000 likes on an image of him holding some sort of long gun. I received texts from my daughter after the kids were let into the school. I can only hope that the administration and the police are holding the individual until the issue is resolved.

^ Same story I heard from kids who don't attend CHS ^

FYI, the kids, mine included, seem to know the identity of the student. If true, his identity was very well known in middle school; similar issues. Hope this family gets the help they need. 

Someone posted a comment with the student's name and a link to the Instagram page on the Village Green article. The Village Green removed the comment because it referred to a minor.

I'm sure a lot of people saw the name before it was deleted. Genie in a bottle. Plus certainly a lot of other students follow his Instagram page.

This should be handled by the police and school administrators.  The less talk about the individual in any public forum the better. I'm sure the police will assess whether there is an actual threat and what needs to be done.

i hope he does not return to chs where he will be further ostracized and can get placed in a school where he will get individualized attention and help.

For those not on the email list:

Elizabeth M. Aaron, MAT, M.Ed.

Principal

November 11, 2015

Dear Members of our Columbia Community:

Early today, administrators and teachers received information about the possibility of Columbia students having posted images and words related to an act of violence against our school.  With the information provided, I contacted Maplewood Police. They worked with us quickly to identify any real threat or danger and we placed our building, during our Period 1 class, on a Code Yellow/Shelter-in-Place. A Code Yellow condition is one in which our staff and students remain in place, allows us to easily locate staff or students should we need them, and for us to move around the building without impediment or delay.

During the event, we were also in constant contact with district administrators and our Superintendent.

As students arrived for their Period 2 classes, we asked them to wait outside while we continued to work on the matter.  When Maplewood Police cleared the building for entry, we assisted them by having students enter in small groups through our front doors, supervised by Maplewood Police and school administrators, counselors, teachers, and deans.

Students were patient and cooperative throughout this process, and we thank them for that. We also appreciate the work we know you have done at home to help your students understand that their cooperation during any event – drill or real – is paramount to their safety. This morning’s events served as testament to how well we do that work at Columbia High School with our local police and public safety officials.

We directed students to their Period 2 class, where we took our daily attendance.  At 10 am, we rang our bell to allow students time to go to their lockers and then move to their Period 4 (dropping Period 3) class, which took place at and for its regularly-scheduled time.

We used our morning announcement time to commemorate the sacrifices and service of our veterans and our a cappella group, Unaccompanied Minors, sang an arrangement of the National Anthem by one of our students. Then a member of our junior class played Taps on his trumpet.

Please take time tonight to review safe social media practices with your students, remind them that references to guns, violence, or other crimes can elevate what they think may be a ‘harmless’ post to an issue that creates the conditions we had at CHS this morning.   A comment or posting by a student or one that a student chooses to re-post may result in charges of making terroristic threats and can result in suspension or expulsion from school. 

Please be aware that support services and counseling that you or your students may need are available here at Columbia High School should you feel you need them to assist your students in making healthy and smart choices about social media and the many other challenges of adolescence.

Please continue to take steps to monitor your students’ online lives, social media profiles, and connections. Should you not have yet chosen to do so, you may find it eye-opening and a starting point of conversation that is critical to your students’ health and well-being.  Our Director of   Guidance and Counseling, Dr. Jennifer Giordano, and her staff are able and ready to assist you should you need their help.

Your students’ lives on Instagram, Facebook, YikYak, Snapchat and other similar sites may be ones that strengthen their friendships. They can also be detrimental to their health and safety. Your work to help your students recognize and navigate the differences is critical.

Please be in touch with your students’ counselors, Assistant Principal, or my office should you have any questions.

Finally, should you ever have information about a threat or safety issue regarding our school, please be directly in touch with the Maplewood Police at 973-762-1234 or, if you think it to be an emergency, at 911.

We thank you for your support as always, of all things Cougar,

Sincerely,
Elizabeth M. Aaron
Elizabeth M. Aaron, MAT, M. Ed.
Principal

I am the Dad and I can assure you there was never any real gun, nor do either homes (we're a two household family) ever have any weapons.  He's a pretty level headed kid, so this obviously is quite a shock. He thought it was a joke, and yes, it was an hideous remark that in no way qualifies as a joke, and the police and administration of the school acted correctly. However, rest assured that there was never any danger to the school. He feels awful about it and will be paying the price for his action for quite a while. 

To the dad, 

I'd suggest removing your post, in the name of your child's privacy (your posting history may make you pretty identifiable, since it includes your approximate home location).

Having said that, my thoughts are with your family...strength to your family, and best wishes for an outcome that is good for all of you.  

Susan2014's advice to the dad is excellent.  Please delete your post.

I've gone ahead and removed the post in question.  I think we can say this situation is being handled well by all involved and further discussion should focus on generalities of this type of event rather than any specific person.  

Wishing this student and this family well.

val said:
Wishing this student and this family well.

Yes. His parents must be shocked and heartbroken. But now he can get the help he needs.

dave said:
I've gone ahead and removed the post in question.  I think we can say this situation is being handled well by all involved and further discussion should focus on generalities of this type of event rather than any specific person.  

So it is written.

I'm guessing I am the only one here that is not a friend of the family! Why are we treating the suspect like a victim? In light of events that have taken place over the past 20 yrs or so, Columbine, Colorado movie theater, Charleston church, Sandy Hook, etc etc have we learned nothing??? I saw the social media page which is filled with several questionable posts which are EXTREMELY disturbing. Personally I hope he is expelled from the school district!

Wasn't there a request that this thread continue in a more general and reflective nature?

Alarmed said:
I'm guessing I am the only one here that is not a friend of the family! Why are we treating the suspect like a victim? In light of events that have taken place over the past 20 yrs or so, Columbine, Colorado movie theater, Charleston church, Sandy Hook, etc etc have we learned nothing??? I saw the social media page which is filled with several questionable posts which are EXTREMELY disturbing. Personally I hope he is expelled from the school district!

I saw the pages too, and its shocking and scary, but it seems he didn't learn this in the home. To me the big question is how can you be raised in an environment of tolerance and yet have thoughts like this? As a parent, you do your best to instill your values in your children, so what is it that has more power over our kids than our values? Is it the media? is it video games? How does something like this even take seed in a child's head?  

doris said:

Alarmed said:
I'm guessing I am the only one here that is not a friend of the family! Why are we treating the suspect like a victim? In light of events that have taken place over the past 20 yrs or so, Columbine, Colorado movie theater, Charleston church, Sandy Hook, etc etc have we learned nothing??? I saw the social media page which is filled with several questionable posts which are EXTREMELY disturbing. Personally I hope he is expelled from the school district!

I saw the pages too, and its shocking and scary, but it seems he didn't learn this in the home. To me the big question is how can you be raised in an environment of tolerance and yet have thoughts like this? As a parent, you do your best to instill your values in your children, so what is it that has more power over our kids than our values? Is it the media? is it video games? How does something like this even take seed in a child's head?  

Unfortunately, these are sad times we live in. As parents we need to monitor our childrens activities to continue to steer them in the right direction. 

doris said:

Alarmed said:
I'm guessing I am the only one here that is not a friend of the family! Why are we treating the suspect like a victim? In light of events that have taken place over the past 20 yrs or so, Columbine, Colorado movie theater, Charleston church, Sandy Hook, etc etc have we learned nothing??? I saw the social media page which is filled with several questionable posts which are EXTREMELY disturbing. Personally I hope he is expelled from the school district!

I saw the pages too, and its shocking and scary, but it seems he didn't learn this in the home. To me the big question is how can you be raised in an environment of tolerance and yet have thoughts like this? As a parent, you do your best to instill your values in your children, so what is it that has more power over our kids than our values? Is it the media? is it video games? How does something like this even take seed in a child's head?  

IMO, you'll drive yourself crazy debating Nature vs. Nurture. That said, some children and adults are simply more susceptible to outside influence, good or bad, than others.