Parents of students in Guilford County Schools are expressing serious concerns about communication delays after a nearby shooting prompted a lengthy lockdown at two Greensboro schools. The incident, which involved a stray bullet striking a school bus, has led to calls for immediate changes to the district's emergency notification system.
The lockdown at Page High School and Cone Elementary School on Friday afternoon left parents waiting for official information, with some learning about the emergency from their children's text messages long before the school district sent an alert.
Key Takeaways
- Page High School and Cone Elementary were locked down for over an hour due to nearby gunfire.
- Parents reported receiving official school notifications up to an hour after the lockdown began.
- A school bus carrying elementary students was struck by a stray bullet during the incident; no injuries were reported.
- Guilford County Schools stated they sent a message within 40 minutes of the lockdown being lifted, not when it started.
- Parents are demanding real-time alerts to ensure the safety of students, particularly those who walk home.
Lockdown Follows Nearby Gunfire
On Friday afternoon, Greensboro police responded to reports of shots fired near the intersection of East Cone Boulevard and North Elm Street shortly before 3 p.m. Due to the proximity of the incident, both Page High School and Cone Elementary School immediately initiated lockdown procedures to ensure student and staff safety.
The lockdown lasted for more than an hour as law enforcement secured the area. While the safety protocols inside the schools were effective, the flow of information to parents outside became a primary point of contention.
Understanding School Lockdowns
A lockdown is an emergency procedure intended to protect people inside a building from a potential threat outside. During a lockdown, all exterior doors are locked, and students and staff are moved to secure locations away from windows and doors until law enforcement gives an all-clear signal.
Parents Report Significant Communication Gaps
Many parents first learned of the dangerous situation not from the school district, but from their own children. Stephanie Scott, a parent of a Page High School student, received a frightening text message from her daughter at 3:03 p.m.
“She said, ‘Mommy, I’m scared, they said there is a lockdown, the teacher says it’s not a drill,’” Scott shared, reading from her phone.
Despite receiving this urgent message from her child, Scott said the first official communication she received from the school was an email that arrived at 4:02 p.m., nearly an hour later. She noted that she did not receive a text message or a phone call from the school at that time.
“I didn’t get any type of text message or a call, or anything from the school until later on that night,” Scott explained. “Who’s checking an email when their child calls and texts that they are scared?”
Concerns for Student Walkers
The timing of the incident, which occurred close to school dismissal, created additional anxiety. Another parent with children at both schools, who wished to remain anonymous, highlighted the danger for students who walk home.
“Most kids are walkers from both schools. So around that time, you got the elementary school being released at 2 o’clock, and most of those kids are walkers. We are walkers,” she said. The lack of timely information meant parents were unaware of a potential threat in an area their children would be walking through.
Timeline of Events
- Before 3:00 p.m.: Shots fired near the schools.
- Approx. 3:00 p.m.: Schools initiate lockdown.
- 3:03 p.m.: A student texts her parent about the lockdown.
- 4:02 p.m.: The high school principal sends an email notification to parents.
Stray Bullet Strikes School Bus
The severity of the situation was underscored by a report from Greensboro police confirming that a stray bullet struck a school bus from the Doris Henderson Newcomers School. According to the report, elementary school students were on the bus at the time of the impact.
Fortunately, no one on the bus was injured. However, this detail has intensified parents' demands for better communication. They argue that knowing a school bus was hit makes the case for immediate, real-time alerts even stronger.
“It could have hit someone, and thank god it didn’t,” Scott said. “But I still think that we should have been notified during, and not afterwards.”
District Response and Calls for Change
In response to the complaints, a spokesperson for Guilford County Schools clarified the district's actions. The district stated that a message was sent to Page High School parents within 40 minutes of the lockdown being lifted. This confirms parents' assertions that they were not notified when the lockdown began.
For parents, this policy is unacceptable. They argue that waiting until a crisis is over to inform them leaves a dangerous information vacuum where fear and misinformation can spread. More importantly, it prevents them from taking precautions for children who may be off-campus or walking home.
The unidentified parent expressed her frustration with the delay. “It took a while for them to reach out and I was questioning why did it take so long? That could’ve been sooner, that could be worked on,” she said.
Parents like Stephanie Scott believe it is time for the community to demand a change in protocol. “We need to start speaking up and saying something because they need to do better,” she urged. The incident has opened a broader conversation about what parents have a right to know during a school emergency and how quickly they should be informed.