How a summer water toy sparked a NJ school safety alert

This just goes to show how serious schools are when it comes to threats. Doesn't matter how big or small it is. If there's even an inkling of danger whether credible or not, our schools take action.

With that said, it was the first time I had a glimpse into what exactly my local school does in that situation. Yes, they have drills and such, but this I believe was the first one that was unplanned, and my kids told me exactly what they did.

First, the incident. And I'll tell you right now, what happened turned out to be a big misunderstanding.

What happened?

Not far to the school is the local convenient store. It's your typical kind of place with snacks, quick food to grab, and some promotional items.

It's one of those promotional items that caused the issue. A kid who rode his bike to the store purchased a small plastic water pistol. Nothing unusual as we see these everywhere during the summer months.

Once the kid made his purchase, he hopped on his bike and started heading through the nearby neighborhood roads.

While he was biking, he allegedly held up his water pistol. At some point, a neighbor saw that and called the police.

The aftermath

I don't how it unfolded after that with the kid, but word did get to the school that a possible shooter was nearby. That's what triggered the shelter in place drill.

Again, there never was any danger. It was just a kid bike riding with a small water pistol.

What's not immediately clear, however, is if this kid was visiting family, if his school was done for the year, or if his school let out before the nearby elementary school did. Nevertheless, the school wasn't about to take any chances.

The school

I, for one, am really happy our school took the potential threat seriously. In today's world, you just never know.

According to my kids when the alert went out, everyone gathered into a secure, windowless room toward the end of the school on the first floor. They said this room also has a heavy, steel door.

From their perspective it seemed like the entire school was in this room. But in reality, I'm not sure you can fit an entire school into one room. But I could be wrong about that.

At no moment did my kids say there was any panic. They described it as orderly and organized, which as a parent is exactly what you want to hear.

Different times

What's interesting about my kids school is that it also doubles as an old fallout shelter, so it does make sense there would be a secure windowless room. But aside from that, incidents like this really make me realize how much has changed.

ALSO READ: School Safety Today in NJ: A Far Cry From 25 Years Ago

When I went to school, we never had drills or lockdowns like this. It certainly wasn't normal then, so it's crazy to me to think that things like this are perfectly normal for our kids now.

A small plastic toy water pistol, and a kid on his bike. That's all it took.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.