Lockdown!

We (Ottawa Hills High School) had our first real "lockdown" today. It wasn't a drill. I am still not quite sure on the details, but in light of everything that has been going on in the news recently, I would be remiss to say that I wasn't concerned. Roughly...here are the details as I am aware of them at all. Three teenage males from a local Toledo Public School were seen in the University of Toledo area. I don't know who called or where the accusation came from, but supposedly, one of the young men lifted his shirt and flashed a gun. Toledo police, University of Toledo police, Sylvania, police, and Ottawa Hills police responded. They chased the young men into the small community that is Ottawa Hills. Most of the action went down in the neighborhood yards and in the area right outside of the high school building. We were put on lockdown because not only was one of the boys suspected of having a gun, but the police were drawn in pursuit of the suspect... Regardless of what was happening outside the school, I was sitting with 22 students in a corner of my classroom, on the floor, with the shades drawn, and the lights off. We are supposed to instruct the kids to remain quiet, but I allowed them to not only talk, but discuss, to feel what they were feeling. They handled it well at that point in time, but I wonder how they feel tonight. Do they feel like I feel? Are they questioning and going through the "what ifs"? Even though I am questioning those things, as well as my own existance, etc..., I am also stuck questioning if those boys really had a gun...or if they were just suspicious in the wrong neighborhood. Were they in any way profiled? So much on my mind tonight about this. Whoever, whatever you believe in... please find a way to send me positive energy. I will keep you all updated.