Social media posts leave school system setting the record straight
Social media: Love it, hate it, but no matter how you feel about the ability to post … whatever … online, it’s a part of our lives.
Good or bad.
Clinton High School had a “soft lockdown” Friday morning, Sept. 30, thanks in large part to social media posts.
A “potential student walkout” called for online resulted in the soft lockdown, which meant a “limited” number of students were allowed in the school’s hallways while regular class schedules were maintained.
While the nature of the proposed walkout was “talked about” on numerous social media platforms, none of those — not one — could be verified.
In a statement from Anderson County Schools over the weekend, Director Tim Parrott wrote, “There are a lot of rumors and misinformation on social media about what took place at Clinton High School yesterday. In an effort to clear all of this up, I am sending out this statement of facts. Mr. Jenkins, principal at Clinton High School, and staff had heard rumors of a potential walkout related to an incident that happened at the beginning of the school year involving a student’s rest-room usage and their alleged activities in the restroom. The incident was investigated thoroughly, and no student was assaulted. Anderson County Schools is required to follow Tennessee state law that requires students to use the bathroom of their gender at birth. For students who do not feel comfortable using a restroom with others, Clinton High School offers a single bathroom available for any student to use.
“Mr. Jenkins called me early Friday morning and informed me about rumors of a walkout in protest of the bathroom law and said as a precaution, and for the safety of all students, he was going to put the school into a soft lockdown drill. A soft lockdown limits the number of students in the hallways while still being able to maintain regularly scheduled class changes. The soft lockdown lasted the first block from 8:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Teachers at no time were instructed to take up cell phones.
“The safety of the students and staff is our first priority, and we work hard every day to keep all of our schools safe. Anytime a student comes to an administrator with a concern, it is taken seriously and investigated. When incidents happen like this, there are always those who like to stir the pot and keep the rumors swirling. If any parent has a concern and/or information about any problems or a potential situation that might put our students and staff at risk, please email me at: tparrott@acs.ac and include your phone number and I personally will call you back. Every school day we have SROs on campus at Clinton High School and whenever an incident like this happens, we work closely with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department to ensure that we keep the entire campus safe.”
What was clear after the Friday “soft lockdown” happened, was the chaos that can ensue from such posts.
At no time were students endangered. Anderson County School System was quick to respond on social media posts — where the first mention of a “student walkout” appeared. And the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department responded with a velvet glove.
“At the request of Clinton High School administrators, my office will have a larger presence than normal tomorrow morning (Monday, Oct. 3) in the hallways and on campus (of Clinton High School),” Anderson County Sheriff Russell Barker said via a statement to all media outlets.
“There have been rumors and exaggerated stories circulating on social media this weekend, which has led to threats of walkouts.
“We will be on campus to ensure every child is safe but is acting responsibly and not disrupting school. School is designed to be a safe environment to educate our students. Any behavior that threatens that will not be tolerated.”