Every parent's terror: Why the Savannah High shooting hoax shook every local mom and dad

This commentary is by opinion columnist Adam Van Brimmer.

Parents of school-age children know the difference between fear and terror.

Fear is a phobia: Snakes, spiders, heights, needles, clowns.

Terror is every mom and dad’s worst nightmare realized: Sandy Hook, Parkland, Uvalde, Columbine.

Terror is why I dread unexpected communications from school officials between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. every weekday. Terror is why I offer a brief prayer every morning while in the school drop-off line asking for protection for my children. Terror is why the politicization of school shootings turns me into the subject of a Snickers commercial.

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My two children were elementary schoolers in 2012 when an unhinged 20-year-old slaughtered a classroom full of first graders at Sandy Hook Elementary School. With each mass shooting since, I’ve asked myself: Is Savannah next?

On Wednesday morning, as I puzzled over the daily Wordle, a text I’ve long dreaded popped onto the screen: “Are you aware of the incident at Savannah High?”

The messages came fast and furious in the minutes that followed. A friend commuting in from the islands let me know of a strong police response on President Street extension. Another who lives on the eastside inquired if I knew the reason for all the sirens and the helicopter hovering nearby.

Then came the texts from my children, who are enrolled in other local schools: "Lockdown. What’s going on?"

When did schools go from safe spaces to targets?

The reports turned out to be a hoax, part of a series of “swatting” incidents around the country where some sick prankster calls 911 and reports an active shooter in a school. Wednesday’s swatting was a coordinated event, with false alarms called into emergency lines across the state.

For Savannah High parents, the terror was real for several hours. They flocked to a campus sealed off by law enforcement, who methodically cleared the school buildings.

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Early arriving moms and dads gathered beyond the school fences, relieved to see their offspring standing safe and unhurt outside the schoolhouse. Those parents delayed by the heavy traffic around the school huddled at a police roadblock, anxious for information. For some, angst gave way to anger — and who could blame them?

Schools are supposed to be safe spaces, not targets. That school shootings have become so commonplace that we now assume the worst is a sad commentary on society.

'All clear' call brings relief but not comfort

For my parents, sending me off to school meant facing the following fears.

Would I get in a dust-up on the playground? (Probable.)

Would I get a bad grade on a test? (Possible.)

Would I come home sick after eating lunch in the cafeteria? (Never. Iron stomach.)

Thirteen years into my own children’s schooling, I’ve lived all three of those scenarios as a parent. None of them scared me. Those incidents are part of growing up.

Learning that a gunman may be on the loose in the schoolhouse? That situation is one my folks never contemplated. It’s not normal; it’s terrifying. And not to be tolerated.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp had it right Wednesday when he labeled school shooting hoaxes as “acts of domestic terrorism.” In many ways, the digital age has removed all behavioral boundaries. The “all clear” call at Savannah High brought relief but not comfort.

The terror remains — and for parents that angst won’t abate until the day the youngest child graduates. Even then the apprehension will only be on sabbatical as someday, Lord willing, we’ll have grandchildren in school.

Is Savannah next? Let’s pray the answer remains no.

Contact Van Brimmer at avanbrimmer@savannahnow.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah High active shooter hoax forced parents to face greatest fear