by Ella Cohen, high school junior, Arlington, Virginia

I was having breakfast before school and already running a little late when my phone buzzed in my hand. It was my friend texting, “They’re not letting us off the bus, the school is in lockdown.”

I live near my high school in Arlington, Virginia. I could see outside my window that students were being turned away from the school and led to a park by heavily armed police officers. I watched in amazement as a line of high school students were marched right by my house.

I watched in amazement as a line of high school students were marched right by my house.

We didn’t know what was happening. Students and parents received piecemeal bits of information throughout the day from police officers and a local news website but were left without a clear understanding of what was going on. Rumors, gossip and innuendo on social media buzzed through the school community.

The school was locked down and allegedly someone had called in a gun threat. Police searched the entire school, classroom by classroom, floor by floor. Some faculty and students who were in the building for early classes on higher floors had to wait upwards of five hours to be evacuated.

Luckily, no gun was found, although Arlington, Texas, had an actual shooting on the same day, which confused many of us. Police didn't catch the person who called in with the school shooting threat.

Related: How to talk as a classroom about gun violence in schools

This is not a solitary incident or a “one time deal.” During summer school there was another gun scare at my high school that culminated in a lockdown and full police search. The police investigation found that some kids had set off fireworks in the building.

Multiple gun threats at my school in the past year may seem like an anomaly, but the reality is that false threats are more common than many people realize. The U.S. Education Department reported that in the 2015–2016 school year, "nearly 240 schools...reported at least 1 incident involving a school-related shooting.”

While reporting from NPR found that more than two-thirds of these reported incidents turn out to be false threats like the gun threats at my school, that does not mean they do not have a very real negative impact on the school community.

Luckily, no gun was found, although Arlington, Texas, had an actual shooting on the same day, which confused many of us.

High school students do not feel safe in the place they should feel the most safe. Whether they refuse to participate in extracurriculars or feel anxious every time they enter the school building, students still feel the effects of gun threats.

Football games, basketball games, Spring Fling, Senior Prom. How can students get the “high school experience” when we are afraid of school wide events? The panic might not be unfounded; a middle school in Arlington county had a gun threat and had to cancel its planned dance.

Related: Teachers are 'not okay' after school shootings

High schoolers may worry about math tests and college essays, but when we look back, we will not remember whether or not we got that ‘A.’ Instead, we will think back fondly to the days when we created an insane "promposal" or cheered the winning touchdown.

These are the crazy, carefree times — where teenagers push away from authority, test boundaries and make mistakes — that provide for the strongest memories. These are the memories my generation deserve but all too often miss out on because of gun violence and threats of violence.

I have learned math, science, English and history at school. But I have also learned to flinch at loud noises, sudden movements and sirens and make mental notes of possible hiding places in the classroom.

Despite mental health resources being offered at more schools, it is the very need for such services that affects how we think and feel about school as a safe place. Although the gun threat at my school did not materialize in shots fired, that didn't mean we were immune from the piercing effects of fear and vulnerability.

 

Ella Cohen is a junior at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, Virginia, and the managing editor of the school paper, Crossed Sabers. She is a former PBS NewsHour Classroom intern. Ella has leadership positions in the PeaceJam Mid-Atlantic Youth Council and the Youth Leadership Foundation (YLF) Mentor+ program. She is also a member of Movement’s competitive rock climbing team. Ella enjoys writing articles and inspiring the community .