Laguna Beach High School Prank?

Laguna Beach High locked down after phone threat

The call, in which gunmen were said to be en route, turned out to be a prank.

By WILLIAM WHEELER
The Orange County Register

Laguna Beach High School was placed under lockdown for more than an hour this morning after a reported threat that turned out to be a prank, police said.

A school receptionist took a call after school began today, warning that six gunmen were on their way to the school.

"We took it seriously," Superintendent Theresa Daem said of the call.

Police responded, putting the school on lockdown and patrolling the area before determining the call was a prank.


The above article was in our local paper, online today. What a day. I got calls from two friends asking if I knew the high school was surrounded by police, with guns drawn. I didn't. But whatever was happening required the assistance of three neighboring police departments. I called the school and got a message. Something that royally pisses me off on a normal day. Something I will have to complain about another day. One friend called back and said that she heard everything was okay and a threat was called in. I wanted to know how they went class by class and checked every backpack and purse in the school in an hour! And whether my daughter was safe or if I should pull her out of school.

I finally got thru to the receptionist and she said there was a threat and that it was fine now. School was back to normal. I asked what kind of threat. She said she didn't know. I am sure she was told to use those words. Then I got a call from the middle school principal, everybody did via mass phone calling system. She wanted to let all the parents know what was happening at the high school and that the other schools were fine. She said that there was a threat of people with guns coming to the school. Nothing from the principal of the high school...yet. Although the receptionist said there would be police presence there all day.

I still wondered how they were certain that all the kids locked down in the classrooms were safe. What if one of those kids already had a weapon in his back pack in class? Very scary stuff. I was told the police went from room to room. When I drove past the school all of three times today, I saw not one cop. I picked up Zoe and she was laughing and told me about the funny things that were happening in class, during the lockdown. She said that some kids had their noses pushed to the window, looking out. She told me one kid suggested it would be funny to have a laser pointer to aim at the police. These kids have no idea how serious this could have been. I understand the giggling that goes on in class when there is a lockdown, because they are like fire drills and have never been taken seriously! Not even today. Zoe also mentioned that the police did NOT go to every class. At least not hers.

We live in a scary world. I know pranks are pulled all the time to get out of school. Sometimes they are not pranks though. I made sure that Zoe knew that. I told her I didn't think it was funny, I was scared. Then I picked up Katharine from the middle school and she asked Zoe, "So, how was the shoot out today?" This was not funny to me either. My sense of humor had taken a leave of absence today! Real life got in the way today. Thank God nothing did happen. But, I still have questions, and I still want answers.

Ever since the dumb TV show on MTV started, yes, I said dumb, the school has been removing kids from campus who do not go there. All because of a TV show! Laguna Beach, The Real OC, is such a joke. As I have said before there are some people in Laguna Beach, just like those characters, but they are not the majority or even close to it.

By the way, when I got home from purchasing a stick pony for my freshman, there was a message from the high school principal, which was verbatim with the middle school principal's message.

That is my rant for today. Tomorrow, phishing by US mail. Yes, a scam just like on the internet. And I want to talk about calling a school and getting a recorded message. That is ridiculas to me! And not just today.

For tonight, have a happy Halloween and a safe one. Katharine is a darling witch and Zoe's a very cute cowgirl. As I mentioned above, I got her a stick pony and she is wearing a cowboy hat. As Jackie (updated, my mistake) mentioned in a comment to me, they now make sounds. Trotting, and neigh and the ever popular breathing thru their nose noise. I asked the woman at the toy store, "Didn't these used to be $3.98 when we were kids?" Granted it isn't plastic, it is plush, a stuffed horse head on a stick. Yes it does make horse sounds. I suppose it was worth the money for a last time trick or treater!