Recent Hard Lockdown Incident

Mackenzie Ault

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On September 26, at about 1:30 pm, Powell High School, Powell Middle School, Powell Elementary School, and First Baptist Academy were placed in hard lockdown. This hard lockdown was because of a threat made against FBA and the Powell schools were within a reasonable distance to also be put on lockdown for the safety of the students. The rules for a hard lockdown in Knox County are straightforward and specific. On the Knox News website, it states, "A hard lockdown is when school pretty much stops—no one is let in or out of classrooms or the building." Now, along with this information also comes your school's rules and suggested safety precautions within your campus. At Powell High School, the expectation is to turn off the lights, lock the door, and students are to hide in the safest corner or closet, or maybe even a separate room within your classroom. A group of students talked about this incident this morning, and we were informed that some teachers did not take these safety precautions. Some teachers turned off the lights, locked the doors, and continued teaching. Another had turned off the lights, locked the door, and let the students sit quietly where they had been during usual class time. These teachers did not take this hard lockdown seriously and it concerned several of the students who had the discussion that morning. These precautions are in place to keep students safe, but when they are not being followed, it puts students at risk. No, the threat was not made directly to our school, but who is to say that it couldn't have been directed to Powell schools as well? While this ended up being a minor inconvenience to Powell High School, it could have been more; and we should have treated it that way.