On Sept. 23, at the end of third period, a bang echoed through upstairs C-Hall. The alarming sound reached several math and history classes, where panic ensued. Many were left scared and confused without any idea of what the noise was. What really happened? We have answers.

What exactly happened? How did school security react?

Shortly before 11:17 a.m. on Sept. 23, approximately ten minutes before the end of third period, loud bangs were heard from a bathroom in upstairs C-Hall. Security agent Jessica Luna was in the school at the time of the incident and was the first to arrive on-scene.
“She immediately went to the area where the loud noise was reported,” School Safety Advocate Steve Brown said. “A student approached her and said, ‘We think fireworks went off in Upper C-Hall.’ She immediately proceeded to Upper C,” Brown said. “All this took place within about 90 seconds. She was able to determine within 90 seconds that there was no active shooter.”

How did teachers react?

The gunshot-like sound was bound to cause panic among those who heard it.
“Everybody just jumped out of their desks and immediately went to the corner of the room,” math teacher Amanda Sharrow said. “It was like a dog pile. I was on one side of the room with eight kids, and I just kind of put my arms around them. We didn’t know what was happening.”
Similar panicensued in social studies teacher Sean McCoy’s classroom. Even though McCoy didn’t know exactly what was happening, he said it was important for him to take action.

“I think it’s better to always fall on the side of students in regards to keeping them safe,” McCoy said. “So that’s how I approached the problem.”

How and why were the police involved? What did they do when they arrived?

The police responded to a 911 call from a parent stating that a loud noise had echoed through the school at approximately 11:23 a.m.
Officers from the Louisville Police Department and BVSD security did a full sweep of the school in order to confirm that there was no other threat.
As they conducted the sweep, they determined that there was no evidence indicating a threat to students, and concluded that the situation was safe.
“We did a walk through the entire building to make sure there were no threats in the building,” Brown said.

Listen to the 911 call below:

Why didn’t the school go into a lockdown?

Principal Greg Doan put the school into an SRP hold, per the advice of the police and BVSD school security. This action was taken with the knowledge that there was no threat in the building and was intended to help the police conduct a productive, accurate, and clean sweep without students in the way.
“I went to the principal as his advisor and another professional to kind of give him an idea,” Brown said. “I let him know that we were going into it and that the police will probably want to do a primary search.”
The threat, as the administration responded to it, was not a shooting or a gunshot. It was a loud noise, which does not call for a lockdown unless assessed at the scene. Upon learning how the police and security were responding, Doan decided to put the school into a hold instead of a lockdown.

When was the hold called? Why did it take so long to put the school into a hold?

Doan announced the hold at 11:34. seven minutes after students had been released from their third period class. The hold was called after police and district security arrived, allowing them to conduct an effective a sweep of the building. Doan said he called the hold not in response to a threat, but because he was told that the police needed to appropriately respond to the 911 reports by doing a full search of the school.

Were students and teachers overreacting?

In the minutes after the firework went off, a perceived lack of information among students allowed rumors to spread quickly.
“When I heard the fireworks, I thought it was a gunshot,” Ryan Alaniz (9) said. “So, from a first impression, I was a little bit scared.”
Miscommunication was a major factor in the ensuing panic. Snapchat stories were posted, and texts were sent.
“My sister was in A-Hall, and she didn’t hear it, so they kept doing school,” Alaniz said. “I was texting our family group chat, and she was saying that there was something going on, and that was confusing.”
Students who heard the fireworks didn’t know anything for sure beyond what they heard for and what they saw on social media. Each person reacted in the way that they thought was best.

How did administration communicate to parents, students, and staff?

Although security knew the source of the sound within 90 seconds, students, staff, and parents did not receive information until the district sent out emails after the incident. School administration released further information later.
Police still had to clear and inspect each part of the school. Once the police had confirmed that there was, in fact, no threat, Doan sent an email informing the Monarch community of the incident at 11:48 a.m. A final email was sent out to clear up what had happened at 12:14, less than an hour after the fireworks were set off.

What is BVSD doing to improve communication for future emergencies?

The district installed a new system of communication called “Now Phones” in early November, which offers quicker means of contact throughout the school in the case of an emergency.
As the administration and district reflected on the situation, they said were able to learn from any minor flaws in their process in order to better approach a real emergency. The district said they have quickly designed a plan to address these issues.
“I think learning and understanding what needs to be localized knowledge is important,” Doan said. “This area of the building needs to know, versus the whole building, versus these teachers, versus all parents and staff. You have to make quick decisions.”
While the “Now Phones” work relatively the same as the intercom, they have a different intended purpose, as they are strictly for emergencies. However, if the situation requires police assistance on-site, administration urges staff members to contact them first before relaying the message over the new phones, according to Doan.

What was the extent of the damage?

This picture was taken at the scene by Luna just a few minutes after the firework went off, displaying the extent of the threat.