A text message: "Hey guys. Please be alert there was a shooter at SUNY Purchase...the suspect just left...please be safe."
Students have been practicing lockdown drills at every level of school for years. They're sitting in class when an announcement comes over the PA that a lockdown drill is taking place. It's "annoying." It's" a nuisance." It's "boring." It's "stupid." It "interrupts class time." You can never really understand the true importance of practicing what to do in the case of emergency until you're faced with a real-life situation where that "drill" becomes reality.
Last night, students at SUNY Purchase, and students at Manhattanville College, just a two-minute drive down the street, were faced with the frightening reality of a potentially armed gunman in their vicinity last night after an altercation at SUNY Purchase wherein the potential gunman fled the campus. SUNY Purchase was put on lockdown at 8:45 PM, as police from numerous surrounding areas flocked to the scene to search for the potential gunman. Manhattanville was made aware of the situation and was put on lockdown at around 10 PM. Students at both schools were instructed to stay in their rooms, close their windows, and lock their doors.
Alone in my room, I could hear police sirens screeching and a helicopter flying back and forth overhead for what seemed like forever. The terrifying reality of the situation was that this man was possibly armed and dangerous, and he was definitely close by. With only social media and little else to keep me informed of the situation, it took a lot of effort not to go into panic-mode.
Luckily, both schools were deemed secure and were taken off lockdown late last night, and everyone is safe. However, the gunman still has not been reported to be found.
In a society where situations like these are all too real, it is hard to imagine how we sometimes forget how important it is for students, faculty, and staff at schools of all levels to take-part in the practicing of lock-down drills. But we do forget. Sadly, it is only in moments like these that we remember why we do them, and why they're so important. Lockdowns are one of those situations you couldn't ever fully understand until it happens to you.
Thankfully, in this situation, it was not nearly as bad as it could have been. But there have been situations where it was worse than anyone ever could have imagined. We tend to have the "Oh, it won't happen to me" mentality, but the truth is, you never really know.
