Did Austin school officials take the proper action when several threatening notes were found at the school this week? It seems they did.

Friday, December 17, 1999

Did Austin school officials take the proper action when several threatening notes were found at the school this week? It seems they did.

School officials locked the school after classes Tuesday night and searched the building as a result of the two notes found. One of the notes was found in a girls bathroom Monday and had a comment that included the words: "the end is near at Austin High."

Later, a second note was found on the steps at a school entrance and included a message: "Austin High will pay."

In the wake of Columbine, multiple school shootings and other violence at learning centers all throughout the United States, there is nothing wrong with taking whatever precautions are necessary to ensure the safety of our youths in our schools.

Austin school officials met with police after school on Tuesday and decided to implement the district’s emergency procedures plan. The plan is there for a reason and that reason is to set guidelines for dealing with these types of situations.

One of the steps taken to protect our high school students was to search students entering the building on Wednesday morning. Backpacks and bookbags were searched, metal security detector wands borrowed from police were waved over students and student IDs were checked.

By taking these actions, anyone planning to cause any harm to students on Wednesday would have been found at the cattle chute – or was kept away by the security measures. The students waited to pass through a single entrance while staff performed a security check on each pupil.

Perhaps the notes found at the school were nothing more than a prank. Perhaps they were real and the security actions implement both Tuesday and Wednesday averted a tragedy at Austin High School.

Whatever steps were taken by school officials on advice of police were proper, necessary and justified. When it comes to our children, no action that is protective is wrong.