After the Nov. 17 lockdown which occurred during lunch, there was only a minimal amount of information shared due to the fact that the case is still pending investigation and school administration is not the only gatekeeper of information.
Lockdowns on school campuses happen for a wide variety of reasons. Due to the increase of violence in school incidents in recent years, many automatically assume there is an active shooter or other life threatening situation at play, but lockdowns are also designed to protect against All types of incidents such as a chemical spill in the hallway.
“Anybody could call for a lockdown [but] the decision is made typically between the administration and the Ventura Police Department,” Assistant Principal Tiffany Dyer said.
The school works in tandem with Ventura Police Department and the Ventura Unified School District in situations that warrant a school wide lockdown. The school district has specific representatives whose job is to provide information to parents and guardians during a lockdown.
“Usually that communication is going to be vague, and it is intended to be . . we may not even know all the details yet; it takes time to figure out everything,” Dyer said.
Administration and Law Enforcement work diligently to assure the reliability of all facts and are weary of misinformation spreading.
“We [the district and Ventura Police Department] may not even know all the details yet,” Dyer said. Administration is aware that students will be texting parents and guardians separately. Therefore, Dyer explained that they send a brief update and reminder to parents and guardians to eliminate the chances of those individuals “making the situation worse.”
In most instances, when the school is put on lockdown, the teachers receive information similar to what parents and guardians do. As protocol is enacted for numerous things, it is important that teachers and staff are not misinformed, leading them to panic.
“I think it is important for us to not be premature about telling people what is happening when they do not know, especially at that moment,” English Department Chair and A.P. Language teacher Antionette Perez said.
If the information is shared simultaneously with it being reported, it creates an opportunity to be relayed incorrectly as it takes time to get the correct story when things are happening all at once.
“Most of the lockdowns that I have been involved in, [have] been out of an abundance of caution,” Assistant Principal of Safety Tina Perez said. “It is basically just to keep extra people and ‘looky loos’ [out so the] Ventura Police Department or the administration and staff can conduct their investigation.”
When an event on campus triggers a lockdown, it tends to have minors at the heart of the situation. As a result, the district by law needs to be tight-lipped with their information.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is a federal law that protects the privacy of students in matters relating to incidents on campus. This law must be abided by any public school or schools that receive funding from the U.S. Education Department. California Education Code also has laws which protects student confidentiality.
I know that people do not like hearing that but it is just the way that it is. There is only so much information that can be shared,” Dyer said.
