On November 13th, 2019, Lonestar High School was under close watch in the hours of 9am-10am. Students reported a student had been showing off what appeared to be his gun on the bus on the way to school. About 2,000 students were put into a mandatory lockdown and lockout drill until further notice, and around 15 police cars could be seen surveying the perimeter of the school. The surrounding schools- Stafford Middle School, and Phillips Elementary School- also followed the lockdown protocol as an extra precaution. At 10:20 a.m., Frisco PD released a statement saying the issue had been “resolved”, but without any other explanation. The student in question has been located, and no one was harmed. 

This brings to light an important issue that should be talked about more often within high schools, and that’s the issue of gun control and student safety. This morning, everyone’s social media in Frisco ISD was flooded with sentimental condolences such as “pray for Lonestar!” and “Lonestar people stay safe today!”. While these are shared with good intentions, not much change can occur if nothing is done about it. If a student in question possessed some of the warning signs, were students doing enough to prevent this from happening such as telling a trusted adult? 

When it comes to taking action, I believe many students are hesitant because of the social pressure to remain a part of the crowd and be nothing more than part of the flow of traffic in the hallways. But one minute of discomfort is a small price to pay when it comes to the lifetime of hurt and healing that happens when a school shooting occurs. “See something, say something,” and we should all do our part to keep ourselves safe. A method by which this can be done is the StopIt app, which will confidentially report any issue going on around the school such as bullying, suspicious activity, etc. For more extreme cases, it’s best to directly call 911 or the non emergency Frisco PD number: (972)-214-6010 . Then of course there’s the most simple way, and that’s to tell a trusted teacher, counselor, AP, or any other adult at school about the issue.