By Isabelle Abadie and Nellie Purdy
On Thursday, Dec. 18, Durham Public Schools Superintendent Anthony Lewis visited Riverside High School.
The visit was prompted by consecutive lockdowns on Monday and Tuesday and numerous safety threat tips that involved Riverside in the past month.
Riverside has had four lockdowns in the past four weeks. All have occurred during fourth period. On Tuesday, Dec. 16, principal Gloria Woods-Weeks called for a “secure” and later shifted the school into a full lockdown.Â
During an electronic message sent after Monday’s Woods-Weeks reminded students and families of the intended purpose of the Say Something anonymous tip system.
“This tool is in place to help keep our school safe by allowing students and staff to report concerns, threats, or safety issues anonymously,” she said. “Making a false report can divert critical resources from real emergencies, put others at risk, and result in serious consequences.”
During his visit, Lewis visited numerous classrooms and asked for student feedback on the issue and answered student questions.
“I try not to operate and make decisions for students that don’t involve students,” Lewis told The Pirates’ Hook staff.
Lewis answered questions about the numerous tips Riverside has received, potential future safety protocols and the actions Durham Public Schools is doing to combat the increased number of lockdowns.
He reiterated that every security tip is taken seriously and no weapons were found during the lockdowns.Â
“Our law enforcement partners did note patterns and as of right now are actively investigating to see if this is a prank,” Lewis said.
According to a Dec. 17 CBS 17 article, North Carolina law states that falsely reporting mass violence on educational property is a felony, carrying the potential of a three-year prison sentence.
While answering questions about potential next steps Lewis mentioned the potential of gaining a subpoena from a judge to track the IP address of the multiple threats.
When asked to give advice to students who are nervous about going to fourth period, he expressed understanding and highlighted resources offered in the building.
“We have counselors to talk it out,” he said, “if you feel like just not going down a specific hallway or having your parents sign you out, that is your right.”
DPS currently utilizes two anonymous tip reporting systems – SAY SOMETHING and TEXT-A-TIP – that students, teachers, staff and parents at all schools can use. According to the district’s website, both programs “quickly notify school administrators and district staff when a tip is received.”
On Friday, members of the Durham Sheriff Department visited Riverside classes and reiterated that all emergency tip lines are “a tool, not a toy.”
