Don’t judge teen too harshly

Contributed
Published: May 15, 2008

To the editor,
I would like to address the events surrounding the “code red” at Prospect Heights Middle School, which subsequently led to the school being locked-down for over an hour. My main concern was for the safety of the students and faculty members. The lock-down was the topic of many conversations. Over the course of the next few days, certain events came to light that caused doubt among many people. Since then we have found out that the lock-down was based upon a false account. 
School violence has become more prevalent and school children have become the innocent victims of it all. It is a frightening realization for parents, as well as for students, that there is a chance that one day something terrible may happen in one of our schools. Even though we cannot prevent this violence, we can be prepared for it. Since taking the Citizen’s Police Academy, through the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, I have confidence in the abilities of the deputies and school resource officers. It was in that class that I learned that all of the schools within Orange County can be locked down in less than one minute. That fact is amazing to me and what makes it even greater, these school resource officers have been contacted by other counties to assist them with their school lock-down procedure. We are very lucky to have people that care about our children as much as Eric Hopwood, Sheriff Mark Amos, and the other deputies and staff of the sheriff’s office.
Lastly I would like to say to the young lady and her family, my heart and prayers go out to you. We should not judge this young lady or her family; we should embrace them and pray for their healing. Yes, many people were frightened by the lock-down and that should not be overlooked, but we should be thankful that our schools are safe. Her cry for help should not ruin her school career or reflect onto her family. Please let this community come together not to condemn her, but to do what we can to help. Let us all lift her and her family up in prayer and show how prayer can truly heal.
Shannon Abbs
Somerset