Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a security officer in the school. The removal of SROs did not create a vacuum. In this case, the security officer (who is not an employee of MCPD) found the student, called for help, and played an integral role in getting safety measures going.

You don’t need a police officer for that.

Well apparently you do need a police officer to recognize a BULLET HOLE in a child. Duh.

+1 even if they thought initially it might be a stab wound, why didn't they call the cops?

Cops are trained to assess threat. Security officers are not.

Bring back the SROs. I'm signing that petition.

You can’t train security officers to assess a wound but you can teach cops education and psychology?

Are security guards, admins, and teachers trained psychologists?

Cops go through intensive training to assess risk and threat. What type of training do security guards go through?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would the teacher know he is the shooter? What if locked down happened in between classes and the teacher thought of letting this kid in??? It’s a very tough situation. Honestly, if a witness saw who it was and somehow told an adult right away things would have been better. They had no idea who it was and if he was in the building or if he ran on foot. Very scary

Sigh. Since the teacher can’t know that, the correct thing to do is follow the policy and after the door is locked, admit NO ONE.

You don't leave a student in the hallway during a lock down.

I can see why you wouldn’t want to but I can understand why policy says once the door is locked they cant.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would the teacher know he is the shooter? What if locked down happened in between classes and the teacher thought of letting this kid in??? It’s a very tough situation. Honestly, if a witness saw who it was and somehow told an adult right away things would have been better. They had no idea who it was and if he was in the building or if he ran on foot. Very scary

Sigh. Since the teacher can’t know that, the correct thing to do is follow the policy and after the door is locked, admit NO ONE.

You don't leave a student in the hallway during a lock down.

Anonymous wrote:This cover up is so much like the cover ups in the Damascus case and the Rockville HS case. Definitely a pattern in MCPS of covering up incidents.

This is what's MOST sickening. Students are getting hurt right and left and the administration just runs around trying to protect themselves, spending millions in lawyers's to find out what the best defense is. UGH.

This cover up is so much like the cover ups in the Damascus case and the Rockville HS case. Definitely a pattern in MCPS of covering up incidents.

Message from Principal in Dec

Good morning Magruder High School Staff, Students, and Families,

The purpose of this letter is to provide an update on an ongoing concern regarding a threat toward our school that was reported last week. On December 2, 2021, I wrote to you to share the outcome of our investigation with the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) and the MCPS Office of Systemwide Safety regarding an alleged threat. The investigation concluded that there is no credible threat. However,there continue to be rumors and concerns circulated on social media and through word of mouth that indicate that the threat remains.

We continue to work with our police and security partners and it continues to be the determination that the student does not present a threat to our students and staff. However, we will remain vigilant and will respond immediately to anything related to this incident or any other safety concern. We appreciate the partnership, collaboration and attention provided to Magruder High School to thoroughly address this matter.

I want to encourage anyone who may see or hear something that threatens the safety of our school to say something to an administrator. The importance of this cannot be understated. I made an announcement to the entire school this morning regarding this matter and the ongoing concern. We have increased our security and adult presence throughout the school building to reassure everyone of our vigilance and commitment to safety. I am sending this second message to the community to provide an update on this situation and request parent support in dealing with the threats and rumors that grow out of social media. I am asking parents to have a conversation with your children regarding the importance of sharing information with a trusted adult but not contributing in a negative way by spreading unfounded rumors. It is equally important that they do not take part in any activity that could be considered bullying or harmful to someone. I fully realize the seriousness of this matter and school safety as a priority. With your support and involvement, we will maintain a safe school environment.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or any member of the Magruder High School administration if you have any questions or concerns, at 240-740-5550.

Sincerely,
Dr. Leroy C. Evans

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a security officer in the school. The removal of SROs did not create a vacuum. In this case, the security officer (who is not an employee of MCPD) found the student, called for help, and played an integral role in getting safety measures going.

You don’t need a police officer for that.

Well apparently you do need a police officer to recognize a BULLET HOLE in a child. Duh.

+1 even if they thought initially it might be a stab wound, why didn't they call the cops?

Cops are trained to assess threat. Security officers are not.

Bring back the SROs. I'm signing that petition.

You can’t train security officers to assess a wound but you can teach cops education and psychology?

The security officers start at 42K and only requires a HS diploma or GED—if you don’t think SROs are sufficiently qualified, I’m not sure why you think the security officers are better.

Anonymous wrote:How would the teacher know he is the shooter? What if locked down happened in between classes and the teacher thought of letting this kid in??? It’s a very tough situation. Honestly, if a witness saw who it was and somehow told an adult right away things would have been better. They had no idea who it was and if he was in the building or if he ran on foot. Very scary

Protocols are enacted so that the teachers don't have to know or think anything.
You follow the protocol.

End of story.

Anonymous wrote:How would the teacher know he is the shooter? What if locked down happened in between classes and the teacher thought of letting this kid in??? It’s a very tough situation. Honestly, if a witness saw who it was and somehow told an adult right away things would have been better. They had no idea who it was and if he was in the building or if he ran on foot. Very scary

He or she would not know, thus the policy not to admit ANYONE once the door is locked.

In this instance, it was not even to a class he was supposed to be in.

Anonymous wrote:How would the teacher know he is the shooter? What if locked down happened in between classes and the teacher thought of letting this kid in??? It’s a very tough situation. Honestly, if a witness saw who it was and somehow told an adult right away things would have been better. They had no idea who it was and if he was in the building or if he ran on foot. Very scary

Sigh. Since the teacher can’t know that, the correct thing to do is follow the policy and after the door is locked, admit NO ONE.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Alston Jr. sure seems to have had a lot of power over the actions of others, including the teacher in the room he wandered into for lockdown, not his class. Why might that be? Was it a regular teacher or a sub not familiar with the students? Were some kind of prison gang dynamics operating?

Fear can be a powerful motivator.

This could have been so much worse with mass casualties.

The victim could have gotten to the hospital much sooner, would that have changed the outcome? No siren vs. medivac for example.

Why in a school that had repeated threats as recently as December was the response so inept?

What? Prison gang dynamics?

Seems much more likely he ducked into the nearest classroom when they called the lockdown, and made up a story to explain why he was wandering the halls. No teacher is going to leave a student out in the hallway during a lockdown situation, especially if they don’t know why it’s been called.

For a long time teachers weren’t given much info about what was happening, until police figured out who they were looking for and determined that he didn’t seem to have fled off campus. Police didn’t know whether he was still armed, so they had to go slowly and carefully so they could apprehend him without further casualties. Nothing I’ve seen suggested he was holding the class hostage, or threatening the teacher or anything.

I don’t even know what “prison gang dynamics“ might even mean in this context.

This thread seems to imply that the shooter was let into the classroom after lockdown initiated. Would love to hear what this guy has to say.

They need to bring someone in from the state or federal level to investigate what happened at Magruder.
The dad said a lockdown was called but students were doing testing, which continued. The students were then released from class and called back in because the lockdown was ongoing.
After the door was locked for a second time, the shooter was let into the classroom.
Error after arror after error.

Ah, the Holy Grail of testing.

Not too focused on getting the victim to a trauma center as quickly as possible though - nah, SKIP THE SIREN. EMS, with some sense of common sense and self-preservation, were the ones who questioned the security situation at the school before they arrived.

I think it has to be someone from outside MD. And go back to the December threats and why that did not lead to a better response.

How would the teacher know he is the shooter? What if locked down happened in between classes and the teacher thought of letting this kid in??? It’s a very tough situation. Honestly, if a witness saw who it was and somehow told an adult right away things would have been better. They had no idea who it was and if he was in the building or if he ran on foot. Very scary

Alston knocked on multiple doors. Kids reported that on Friday. Only one teacher admitted him, putting herself and all of her students at risk and in violation of the lockdown policy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Alston Jr. sure seems to have had a lot of power over the actions of others, including the teacher in the room he wandered into for lockdown, not his class. Why might that be? Was it a regular teacher or a sub not familiar with the students? Were some kind of prison gang dynamics operating?

Fear can be a powerful motivator.

This could have been so much worse with mass casualties.

The victim could have gotten to the hospital much sooner, would that have changed the outcome? No siren vs. medivac for example.

Why in a school that had repeated threats as recently as December was the response so inept?

What? Prison gang dynamics?

Seems much more likely he ducked into the nearest classroom when they called the lockdown, and made up a story to explain why he was wandering the halls. No teacher is going to leave a student out in the hallway during a lockdown situation, especially if they don’t know why it’s been called.

For a long time teachers weren’t given much info about what was happening, until police figured out who they were looking for and determined that he didn’t seem to have fled off campus. Police didn’t know whether he was still armed, so they had to go slowly and carefully so they could apprehend him without further casualties. Nothing I’ve seen suggested he was holding the class hostage, or threatening the teacher or anything.

I don’t even know what “prison gang dynamics“ might even mean in this context.

This thread seems to imply that the shooter was let into the classroom after lockdown initiated. Would love to hear what this guy has to say.

Yes, since the school was going into lockdown anyone in the hall was told to get in a classroom. Are the teachers supposed to frisk people first? I know it’s horrible for those parents but I don’t see how this could be avoided. Is the teacher supposed to see this guy, assume that he’s the shooter and leave him in the hall? Or is she supposed to see this guy, assume he’s not the shooter, and get him in a room to safety? How is it up to her to make that judgment?

That is the point of lockdown. Shut the door. Do.Not.Open.It.Again. That's how a lockdown works. Why? Because of exactly what happened here. Don't let the shooter in your classroom.

It is so upsetting to see these details of how poorly the adults performed. Any illusion that protecting kids, common sense, a sense of urgency getting a kid to a trauma center is the highest priority is gone. Deny, minimize, cya. No reason to think the shooter had left but wishful thinking. Kid was said to have knocked on multiple doors. A whole class was put at risk because that teacher admitted him. And he was not even a student in that class. Defeats the entire point. The cops noted there was no one in the hallway. That is where the shooter should have been contained. My kids are not at Magruder and I am so shaken by this behavior by MCPS and MCPD. And after repeated threats at that school, why so inept and flat footed. Why not be on top of how to respond?

Schools need the option of getting rid of troublemakers and violent kids. If they were not stuck with them it would all be different.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a security officer in the school. The removal of SROs did not create a vacuum. In this case, the security officer (who is not an employee of MCPD) found the student, called for help, and played an integral role in getting safety measures going.

You don’t need a police officer for that.

Well apparently you do need a police officer to recognize a BULLET HOLE in a child. Duh.

+1 even if they thought initially it might be a stab wound, why didn't they call the cops?

Cops are trained to assess threat. Security officers are not.

Bring back the SROs. I'm signing that petition.

You can’t train security officers to assess a wound but you can teach cops education and psychology?

They aren't actually teaching the classes. I can see why you have the wrong idea about sros.
A job listing for SROs in a different county requires college degree in sociology or social work.

The SROs I've seen have been bright caring people.