Glen A. Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights went into a lockdown that lasted nearly 5 hours, on Mar. 24.
Police picked up a social media threat that a student was at Wilson High School in possession of a firearm, of which there are three schools with the same name close to our vicinity.
Out of an abundance of caution, principal Doctor Kenfield placed the school under lockdown during second period which lasted for hours while police and canines searched the campus, including restrooms and eventually the campus and students themselves.
Students were required to stay put where they were during the lockdown, may it be in a restroom, a storage room or a classroom. They could not leave for any reason and no one could be let inside for safety reasons.
There has also been misinformation spreading around on social media about the cause of the lockdown, which prompted Doctor Kenfield to warn students to not spread information online and to not trust what they are hearing or reading about as it can create more chaos and delay the process of ensuring student’s safety even longer.
Junior student Samantha Tung shared her first reactions to the news that the school was under lockdown, as well as what did throughout the lockdown.
“When the lockdown was announced, I just assumed it was another false threat. It wasn’t until we were stuck in the classroom for hours and I began to see pictures and videos circulating on social media that I began to see the severity of our situation. However, I just kept doing my math homework and studying as I had a midterm the next day,” Tung explains.
Likewise, fellow junior student Sha Lu shared the same sentiments.
“The lockdown didn’t really affect me that much,” Lu comments. “As I also had a math midterm the next day, the lockdown gave me extra time to study and prepare for it.”
Thankfully, all classrooms, students and facilities were searched and there was no threat to the school. Students were eventually released onto the field where everyone was served lunch.
Students returned to a shelter-in-place after lunch where they were eventually dismissed at around 3:21 P.M.
