The writer shares three personal stories about school lockdowns.
In the first story, the writer was in calculus class during a lockdown when an unstable man entered the school, assaulted a staff member, and was later found sleeping in a storage closet with a possible 44 Magnum in his pocket.
The second story occurred during lunch when a mentally disabled man, who was a registered sex offender, barricaded himself in front of his house, which was near the school, and threatened to harm himself and the police. The school was put on lockdown, and students were confined to the multi-purpose room for an hour.
The third story takes place years later when the writer returns to their old high school as a computer intern. The school is put on lockdown again due to a possible armed intruder. The writer, who is alone in the basement office, is frightened when a stranger appears, but it is later revealed that the man was a parent who was told to hide by a teacher. However, the writer soon realizes that the man might be the armed intruder, and as he tries to escape, a gunshot is fired, and the man is apprehended by the police. Fortunately, a teacher who was shot during the incident survives.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator experienced two school lockdowns.
2. The first lockdown happened during a calculus class on a Friday.
3. The Dean announced over the loudspeaker that the school was going into lockdown and that it was not a drill.
4. A mentally unstable person had entered the building and assaulted a woman at the front desk.
5. The person was not found during a sweep of the hallways and classrooms.
6. A janitor later found the person sleeping in a storage closet, but the person escaped before police arrived.
7. The second lockdown happened while the narrator was working in the school basement as a computer intern.
8. The narrator received a phone call from the front office stating that the school was on lockdown and that someone possibly armed had entered the school.
9. The narrator turned off the lights and hid under their desk, fearing for their safety.
10. A man entered the office, and the narrator initially feared for their life, but the man claimed to be a parent who had been told to hide by a teacher.
11. The narrator received a text message from a coworker stating that a man with a gunshot was in the building and that they should not come upstairs.
12. The narrator realized that the man in the office matched the description in the text message and attempted to flee.
13. A gunshot echoed through the basement, and the narrator narrowly escaped injury.
14. Police were waiting at the exits, including the basement exit, and arrested the man.
15. A teacher, Mr. Buckley, was shot but survived.
16. The incident was reportedly due to a personal conflict between the shooter and Mr. Buckley.