Riverside High School students and families are reeling after three false weapon reports in just five days, leaving many feeling anxious and on edge.
On Friday, Feb. 14, the school went into lockdown after a tip warned of an armed person on campus. Students say they huddled in classrooms with the lights turned off while officers conducted a safety sweep. The tip was deemed unsubstantiated and the lockdown was lifted after about an hour.
The night before, students said the school alerted their parents about a threat made on social media. Despite the warning, students attended class as usual on Friday, only to be placed under lockdown that morning.
Then on Tuesday, Feb. 18, another tip suggested a student had a gun on campus. Again, a P.A. announcement notified students of the lockdown. The student in question was determined not to be on campus, and the lockdown was lifted.
But minutes later, a third tip came in about another student allegedly carrying a firearm. The student was found unarmed, and the Durham Police Department posted on X that the final lockdown was lifted by 10:50 a.m.
The repeated false alarms have taken an emotional toll on some students. One senior described how her teacher began to panic, turning off the lights while students silently huddled in a dark corner. “We were there for a long time,” the student said. “I was texting my mom saying ‘We have a lockdown’ and that she should pray for me.”
“It was scary because nobody knew what was happening,” said Ryan Jenkins, a senior. “There’s just a lot of confusion.”
While some students were frightened, others were frustrated by the academic disruption. “It doesn’t scare me as much as like, I have a math test,” one student said on Tuesday afternoon. “Why are we not having school? I studied last night and I’d like to apply that knowledge before I forget it.”
Others just felt inconvenienced. “Some people were scared, but some people were just kind of done with it,” said Jenkins. “People are tired, they don’t want to be sitting in this hot class jumbled up with a bunch of people.”
By the time the third tip was called in, some students said they were napping or watching TikTok videos.
“Friday, I was scared, but not really anymore,” said one student. “Today, I was like, was it a drill?”
Durham Public Schools (DPS) officials emphasized that every threat is taken seriously but acknowledged the toll the lockdowns take on the community.
“I was pleased with the way that the students, staff, administration and our law enforcement partners conducted the lockdown and search,” Superintendent Anthony Lewis said in an interview Thursday. “However, I do still recognize and understand the fear and the angst that causes with our students and our staff. I understand, most of all, the importance of children coming home safe each and every day.”
Lewis also addressed the disruptions to the learning environment.
“Our top priority is academics,” he said. “We want our students fully engaged in the classroom and not concerned about, ‘Will there be a lockdown today? Is it safe? Does a student have a gun?’ That’s the last thing I want in our scholars’ minds.”
DPS utilizes two anonymous tip reporting systems — SAY SOMETHING and TEXT-A-TIP — that allow students, staff, and parents to quickly report threats. But the district is urging responsible use of these systems.
“Please speak with your students about appropriate use of social media and express the importance of utilizing our tip lines responsibly,” Lewis said in a message to Durham Public Schools families. “While we are committed to ensuring that every tip we receive is researched and resolved, those that are submitted without cause cost time, money, and detriment to the wellbeing of our students and staff.”
Durham County Sheriff Clarence F. Birkhead emphasized the real consequences of false reports.
“Calling in regarding a threat is something we encourage,” he sent in an emailed statement. “However when those tips are false, it creates fear and uncertainty for the school community and a safety issue for the campus, first responders and the community as a whole.”
For school administrators, the repeated lockdowns pose a difficult balancing act. Riverside High School Principal Gloria Woods-Weeks emphasized that safety is her top priority, even when tips turn out to be false.
“Safety is first. I’d rather respond to an unsubstantiated tip than to place our students and staff at risk,” she said in an emailed statement to The 9th Street Journal.
“We know what we’re doing. But the fear factor sometimes prevails. We have to rely on faculty and staff to know the protocols and to be able to execute with proficiency when a lockdown is called. Following these protocols is a life-saving measure. Practice makes perfect.”
Riverside has taken various steps to improve safety and enhance communication about safety with parents and students, said DPS spokeswoman Crystal Roberts. Staff monitor entrances, and district protocols require visitors to show identification and wait for permission to enter school buildings. Woods-Weeks also holds regular PTA meetings and informs students about the consequences of violating the school’s code of conduct.
Administrators want students to know that there are serious consequences when they make threats.
“Students may think it’s a joke or think it’s okay to just post things on social media,” Lewis said. “But we take every single one of them seriously.” He added that depending on the severity of the threats, students may face charges that could follow them and affect their futures.
Lewis also urged parents to check in with their children and stay alert to signs of distress before they escalate.
“Find out, ‘Hey, is there anything going on in my child’s life that I need to be aware of? Do we need a counselor?’” he said. “Creating those open lines of communication in the home, that’s the very first line of defense….That’s how we wrap our arms around our students.”
DPS is planning a community safety forum for students and families to raise concerns and discuss ways to enhance safety measures. Although the forum was originally planned for the spring, Lewis thinks it may need to be held sooner.
“Our kids can’t wait,” he said. “We can’t wait to act upon safety.”
Above: Durham Police posted a notice about a lockdown at Riverside High on the X platform on Feb. 18. The lockdown lifted later that same morning.
Storey Wertheimer
