'This can't keep happening:' Okemos parents, students react to shooting hoax
MERIDIAN TWP. — Parents and students happily rushed to embrace one another Tuesday morning at a church after students were bussed from the high school after a fake report of a shooting was phoned into Okemos High School.
Many expressed still feeling scared and angry after initial reports of a shooting filled their phone notifications and social media feeds. Some parents heard directly from their children it was a hoax, but it didn't quell their fears.
"It was terrifying because we'd call the schools and there weren't any answers and I'm sure there was an influx of calls," said parent Madelyne Weaver, whose daughter Ashley Chance attends the high school. "It was a very scary day, especially considering some of the things we see nationally as far as school shootings."
She and Ashley, a senior at Okemos, reconnected around 11:30 a.m. at the 24|2 Community Church on Bennett Road in Okemos. Some students were also taken to the Bennett Woods Elementary school.
Staff and various police agencies directed bussed students and arriving parents on how to reconnect with one another as people still pieced together what happened at Okemos High School.
The situation unfolded about 90 minutes after school started, Ashley said. She said a group chat with about 30 other students helped each other know they're safe.
Zachary Campbell, another Okemos senior, said he was scared during the ordeal. His mom Lisa Thompson fears he and other students may develop post-traumatic stress disorder after Tuesday's incident.
She called today a "parent's worst nightmare" and called off work this morning when alerts went off.
"I knew he was OK, but even knowing he's OK, you still want to get your hands on your child and hug him," Thompson said.
Laura Jubeck had an influx of notifications on her phone from community apps and the school district. She's impressed with how quickly everyone reorganized to create a smooth reunification process for all. One of her sons, who attends Okemos High School, updated her about the situation as she breathed a sigh of relief to see her eighth grader Ben.
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Ben recalled the day starting off “kind of boring,” until an alarm went off and his teacher shut lights off to enter lockdown mode. He and his classmates were stressed during the ordeal but said it was relieving to know nothing happened.“I’m still kind of stressed because it was so sudden,” he said.
He left behind his belongings at Chippewa Middle School and said many students were instructed to do the same. A number of students who arrived from the high school had zero coats or backpacks with them.
Junior Shannon Gillahan was in the middle of a French test during second hour when she heard the lockdown alarm go off. She knew instantly it wasn't a drill.
"It was definitely kind of scary because I was getting messages from my friends and my family just saying, 'are you OK?'" Gillahan said. "It was kind of just all coming in all at once. Even one of my friends in college was just saying, 'I literally just heard about this' and she's in another state right now. She was like 'I love you if anything happens' and I was like, 'oh my God, this is so real.'
"Definitely that's where the nerves were kicking in. I was just immediately wanting to see my parents and wanting to go home."
Junior Suchir Nagisetty was in chemistry class when he heard the alarms. His focus was to stay calm and quiet and follow the drills they have practiced in preparation for lockdown situations.
"It's pretty scary knowing something bad could have happened," Nagisetty said, "I think everyone was just really glad that nothing did happen and everyone was safe. I think that's what everyone is focusing on."
Thompson said Tuesday wasn't a laughing matter and is confused why a person would make a joke of the threat.
"This can't keep happening," she said. "Kids don't need to live in fear just going to school."
All of the district's schools were placed on lockdown as a result of the false report. Parent David Eggert's fourth-grade son told him about hiding against a wall in his classroom at Hiawatha Elementary.
Eggert credited law enforcement and the school district for their response and shared frustration with the hoax that closed the schools for the day.
"It's such a huge disruption for the kids, for parents, for teachers, for the community," he said.
Reporters Mark Johnson and Brian Calloway contributed to this story.
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Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at 517-267-1344 or knurse@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @KrystalRNurse.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: 'This can't keep happening:' Okemos parents, students react to shooting hoax
