Schools acted correctly
Published 10:52 pm Saturday, January 24, 2015
It’s probably safe to say that Friday was not a normal day for those in the Dallas County School System.
A shooting Wednesday in the Selmont area and posts on social media resulted in swirling rumors about a possible incident at one of the schools, although those turned out to be unfounded. Many parents rushed to Southside High School, Tipton Middle School and Southside Primary to check out students Friday, just to be safe.
As a precaution, the schools went under a soft lockdown, meaning that only parents checking out students could enter the building.
Deputies with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department were placed at Southside High and officers with the Selma Police Department were at Tipton.
The basketball game between Selma and Southside, which draws one of the biggest crowds in the county, was also postponed Friday night as an added precaution. Leaders considered all sorts of options for playing the game Friday at a different venue, but smartly elected to play it next Saturday at Southside High School at 4 p.m.
It turned out that nothing ended up happening. No problems or anything out of the ordinary took place at the schools, according to Dallas County Superintendent of Schools Don Willingham, but there was enough concern for him and other school leaders to err on the side of caution.
It’s impossible to know what was said or if there was ever any actual heinous intent by those involved, but it’s clear to see the right decisions were made by school leaders.
We couldn’t agree more with the arrangements Willingham and others made to protect our children Friday. When there’s the threat of something taking place, it’s always best to take it serious.
Parents should feel at ease knowing every possible and logical step was taken Friday to ensure the safety of students, teachers and faculty at all three schools within the south zone of the school system.