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Tate High Lockdown Prompted By ‘Rumors’, ECSO Says
March 30, 2023
Tate High School was on lockdown for over an hour midday Thursday due to a threat the ECSO called a “false alarm”. The lockdown was lifted about 1 p.m. and students returned to class.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, school officials received information that a student had threatened to come to the school with a gun and open fire.
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons, who was at the scene, said the school was placed on the lockdown as a precaution while deputies investigated the alleged threat. Simmons stood outside a closed gate to the school and reassured parents that their children were safe. Parents are not allowed to access the campus at any school in the county during an elevated security level.
The Sheriff’s Office confirmed that there were no arrests.
Photos we received from inside the school showed ECSO deputies with long guns watching over students in the cafeteria (above).
The ECSO said the incident was due to rumors among students, not “swatting” where false calls are made from somewhere across the country.
For more photos, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
22 Responses to “Tate High Lockdown Prompted By ‘Rumors’, ECSO Says”
To all you people defending this girl. There is zero tolerance for guns in schools. Has been for a long time. Saying you going to do it declares it. She is lucky she got 10 days. Of course would you have rather them do nothing and the next kid who says it does bring a gun or guns and slaughter 10 students and teachers. Kudo to Tate HI administrators and Escambia County Sheriff and his team for protecting our students.
justice for Mykayla Derouin
The suspension of Mykayla Derouin is outrageous. The Escambia County School District is an embarrassment. They keep principals who are only managing to graduate 3/4 of the school and then they have the audacity to suspend this girl for TEN DAYS without even giving specifics.
They’re hysterical and hypocritical and unable to educate our youth.
I don’t know what the young lady said. But, isn’t she an American citizen? Doesn’t she have the right to her opinion. This doesn’t pass the smell test.
@ Mike – absolutely! It’s ridiculous what is happening to that young lady over NOTHING. I don’t even have kids in school and I’m angry about it. This is a ridiculous thing to do to her. Probably every kid was in school on their phone communicating outside of the school and saying God knows what. This is wrong in every way. This is devastating for her, and she’s been a great student and apparently no disciplinary problem. This is how you ensure students lose respect for authority by making stupid decisions like this I could understand if she was online spreading ridiculous rumors or inciting violence or giving away officer positions or some other similar thing She did nothing but reassure a family friend she was ok and tell the truth about what was going on. She didn’t endanger anyone. It was not like she was making up rumors. Since when did telling the truth become something to be punished? Hmmm, wonder if this is a 1st amendment issue. If this decision does not get reversed, I hope a local attorney sees this and takes it as a pro bono case.
Just what they need, parents jumping fences and running toward the school, not smart at all. All I can say is once there over the fence could be difficult for a deputy to know if there friend or foe and that person should respond to commands immediately they probably won’t ask a second time. I believe our deputies have proven themselves after them rescuing NAS, a military base that could not defend itself from an active shooter.
What the staff and administrators are doing to that 18 year old student is a travesty. Suspended her 10 days for making a comment on THIS news outlet is mind boggling. That young woman saved money with her dad (mom passed a few years ago) for tickets to prom, a dress and other items for PROM. Whoever made this decision to suspend her should be fired and forced to pay the two of them back. She’s also banned from taking her ACT to go to college and become an educated productive member of society. If you’re reading this and considering sending your child to Tate…don’t do it!!!
-Bob, sounds wildly confused to me. If he was faculty there, no, I would not want to arm him/her?
In summer have teachers take a self defense and gun safety coarse. Both of these are needed now.
Bob knows what he’s talking about.
Bob, all the teachers would not be armed. Only a select few would be trained and it would not be the ones s1 dr you speak of.
To everyone saying “arm the staff”. Let me get this straight.
We don’t trust teachers to pick books for their classes. Or to teach about MLK, slavery, or racism. But we trust them to wild an AR-15 and turn into Rambo the second an active shooter shows up on campus.
Stupid.
Procecute perpetrators to the fullest this nonsense has to stop.
Harden the schools
This is so sad it’s not the 1st or last time cuz nobody wantss to be in charge they just sit back & have let this happen forever! I remember being on lockdown in middle school & highschool! & It shouldn’t feel like a normal thing but people think it’s a fun game to call or spread rumors. This planet is so cruel & how hard is it to set the schools up like prison’s but for a healthy atmosphere & more solution’s. Instead we have good & evil government sided with each other & it’s take & not GAF bout nobody except yourselves. Sad but true. God bless the USA
In case you missed it “Sheriff Simmons stood outside a closed gate to the school and reassured parents that their children were safe”. This is the sheriff I voted for!
Out in action visible helping his deputies and community.
I do understand it was a highly emotional time for parents not to be able to get to their children but, to know he could’ve been in harms way and him knowing this still was very present and active. Good job Sheriff Simmons and all Escambia deputies. Well done.
Yeah about the arm the staff comment…the room I was in had a teacher who was standing right in front of the door saying she was going to fight the alleged gunman. Bless her heart, she doesn’t realize if there had been one she would’ve likely been shot. Not to mention she has no training in a fight.
ARM THE STAFF ! ! ! Train them first.
Praise to the ECSD and our Sheriff, he doesn’t hide behind a desk he supports his Deputies and community with his presence
Apparently there were some parents jumping the fence
We’ve been on this lockdown for about an hour now, so im gonna take a nap.
I’m in the school rn