They just said on the ABC 13 news that a man came in the school and attacked two students and a teacher with a belt, then the principal subdued him. They said he'd had some sort of altercation at the landfill 20 minutes before hand. Weird.
last update from wral.... Man Assaults 2 South Johnston High School Students Posted: Today at 11:26 a.m. Updated: 3 minutes ago Benson — Johnston County sheriff's deputies arrested a man Tuesday after he assaulted two students at a local high school. Officials said 38-year-old Billy Ray Anderson walked into the chorus room at South Johnston High School at around 9 a.m. Anderson took off his belt and hit two students with it, school officials said. School officials said principal Barry Honeycutt tried to intervene, but he was also struck by Anderson. Police placed Anderson in custody. It is not yet known if he knows anyone at the school. The school was briefly put on lockdown, but classes have resumed on a normal schedule.
Thankfully he did not have a gun. A lot of people could have been hurt in that four minutes. When I was an intinerant teacher in PA ...many years ago... there were many schools (rural, too) that had locked doors. There was a camera and speaker at the door where you had to state your name and reason for being there and get buzzed in. Wondering if Johnston Co. has considered such security measures. Of course someone could still find a way in if they really wanted to AND children would still be at risk during recess and other such outside time.
I have been concerned about the school safety here too. I hate to be a paranoid mommy but it seems way too easy to get in my daughter's school. Anyway, visitors are directed to the office. Anyone who means any harm wouldn't STOP by the office and the office staff - sitting in a closed up room distracted by telephone, visitors, etc - can't be expected to keep a watch on who passes by the hallway. That does worry me. I know plenty of times, I've had to wait to even be recognized and that is with me standing in the office trying to sign my daughter out. I don't want to see us have metal detectors at the doors of the school but on the other hand, I certainly want to have my children safe. Seems like a reasonable alternative would be to have someone - hopefully a security guard of some sort - sitting near the front door so as to keep an eye on who comes in and out of the front door. Opinions? Am I been just entirely too freaked out by the media or is there a need?
My belief is that each school should have an area at the front door directing people to the right areas of the school. Something similar to the Sports Triplex. Maybe a round desk area and doors where one is the entrance and the other is the exit. This person would check IDs, take telephone calls, check children in and out, etc. I don't like the offices being separate and anyone wandering through the halls. Grace
I went through this conversation a year or so ago. Here it goes again, maybe I will get jumped on like last year too! Go to ANY school in our area and you can walk past the office to ANY classroom you want. Try it. I think their should be some kind of "barrier" so you HAVE to go to the office and can not go beyond unless you do. proof of this is the south Johnston high incident. too easy......JMO. Hell they dont even lock the side doors...any mad person can enter our schools. ANY. now here come the metal detector and camera's comment. Yall go ahead.
You're right. It's scary how security at most schools relies on trusting a person to go to the office and announce that they are there. It's much harder to get in ANY other public (goverment run) buliding (museums, police station, even Smithfield Library) unnoticed than in a school.
Assault and trespassing? These kids will never be the same! He should be in a mental hospital, for sure. I cannot imagine what the parents think should happen to this person. I wonder why the chorus room? Maybe it was the closest? My dad only hit me with a belt once and I have never forgotten how bad it hurt and why it happened. Grace
