Since 1999, gun related incidents have consistently appeared on the news like a movie reel, but to face an incident within your own school feels like a nightmare you can’t wake up from. I never thought Hempfield Area Senior High School would ever have a firearm incident on campus. However, on Monday, October 2, 2023, our school had to go into an internal lockdown. Hempfield officers with the help of the local and state police quickly disarmed the situation before any danger was posed towards students or staff.
During stressful moments, such as the incident on Monday, October 2nd, it seems nothing goes according to plan, but Chief Lander articulated that everything went “smoothly.” As soon as the officers were alerted of the situation, the Pennsylvania State Police were called, the three students were taken into custody, and the internal lockdown announcement went over the P.A. system. This all occurred within 7 minutes.
The internal lockdown took place after the known threats no longer posed a threat towards the building. The procedure was to ensure that no one within the building, other than officers, possessed any weapon. Police thoroughly searched the building and student belongings. Chief Lander expressed that “the safety of students and staff was our first priority.” Everything done in response to the incident was part of a thoroughly practiced procedure meant to make sure students were safe.
Within 7 minutes, known threats were detained, and the many responding police forces were in the process of securing the safety of students and staff.
Amongst all the chaos, the consensus from the student body is that they felt safe throughout the entire process. A student, Riley Dunn, expressed that her substitute teacher did an amazing job securing the classroom and assuring the class that they were safe. Dunn went on to say that between the amount of police and vigilance of the teachers, she felt safe during the incident, and though thinking about future threats are terrifying, she believes that the school has properly prepared for protecting students in terrible situations.
A large portion of the student body has a similar outlook on the incident. The student body articulated that “short of the national guard,” the school and police forces did everything possible to secure the safety of everyone within the school.
While my experience was unique in that I was in a different location than the rest of my class, the two teachers in the room, Mr. Scheuermann and Mr. Stauffer, did a fantastic job prioritizing my safety in the midst of chaos. Furthermore, members of the high school, myself included, believe that the reputation of the school is slightly tarnished, not ruined, and that it is redeemable through time.
During a moment of vulnerability, Hempfield Area High school did not falter. In a time of emergency, we as a school did not fall apart, but we came together as a community to find a calm in our crisis.
