As recent events have unfolded, Millard South was faced with a lockdown after receiving a call of a weapon threat within the building. With students’ phones tucked away in their assigned caddy spots, parents began flooding the phone lines in hopes to get in contact with their children. As law enforcement began sweeping the building room by room ensuring they remained diligent, students were forced into corners and closets in order to stay out of sight. 

Since the beginning of the new year there have been reports of many swatting calls, the most recent one being from Millard South this month and the others being from both an Omaha Public school as well as Wayne schools both in January. Three calls were placed to Wayne schools, two of which targeted the high school and the third targeted an elementary school. This recent surge in swatting calls has forced action in the Nebraska State Legislature.  

Millard area senator Kathleen Kauth has added to a previous bill that was passed regarding probation removal for class IV felonies adding more attention to the definition and extent of  swatting calls. The addition to LB 1020 states that swatting is “A person commits the offense of swatting if such person: Knowingly makes, causes to be made, or directs a false or misleading report of criminal activity or a need for emergency medical services or assistance from firefighters; Such report is made to a law enforcement agency, public safety answering point, or any other emergency response organization. The person knows or reasonably should know the report is false or misleading; and the report results in the dispatch of law enforcement, firefighters, or emergency response personnel.”

  While many students were locked away in the building, seniors and off campus students began arriving at school for pride time and second block not quite sure of what was going on. 

Senior Macy Chadwell states “I thought this was another school fight between multiple schools like there has been before but I didn’t realize that someone had made a threat to the school. When I walked up to the front door an officer told me to go sit in my car so I went to my grandparents house to wait it out. I waited for a message from my friends who were in the building at the time and they told me when I was supposed to be back for class.”

 Not only do threats frighten students but it puts unnecessary stress on parents and disrupts the entire school day which throws many classes out of order. 

An officer who was waiting outside the building said, “We have 20 officers inside sweeping the building, we got a report of a gun within the building and once it is cleared we can let you in.”

After one hour filled with silence and police officers clearing rooms it was announced over the intercom that students could be released back to class at 9:51, which is when pride time ends and passing period to second block begins. By 9:57 students were all in their second block classes and we continued on with our day like nothing happened with a few less students in some classes due to them being called out by parents.