UPDATE: What happened today at Everman Junior High School?
"We're very proud to say, nothing," said Superintendent Jeri Pfeifer at noon. "We'd heard rumors that there were to be gang-related fights today, and we always take those very seriously, particularly if they come from multiple sources."
The rumors were in the form of text messages, telling students what to wear and where to congregate for the fights.
Late Thursday afternoon, Pfeifer and her staff instituted the Campus Crisis Plan, in effect for the first time this year. When students arrived Friday morning, they were kept in home rooms, the cafeteria, and the gym. No regular classes began until a complete weapons sweep of the school was completed, which took until noon. Classes resumed at that time.
By late morning, there was an orderly procession of parents and students leaving the school, more parents waiting in the office, and a beefed-up police and security presence on campus. Some parents said they were called by the school because their students were wearing the forbidden colors of red and black, which text messages had urged fighters to wear. In many cases, students called their parents themselves to pick them up. Many parents, however, were reacting to the schoolwide phone alert system that had left parents phone messages Friday morning about the threats and what district officials were doing to prevent trouble.
Rachael White was in no mood to be soothed when she picked up a friend's children about 11 a.m. "I kept my kids at home today because we'd heard that there was a potential for a fight," she said. "They need to have more control here; they need to monitor these kids more closely. As soon as I can, I'm moving my kids from this district."
Cordell Robinson, a seventh-grader, called his uncle Quinton Robinson from the school office to come get him. "I was in the cafeteria from the start of school this morning," he said. "Then they moved us to the gym. The principal spoke to us and said we shouldn't be bringing knives and things to school, and they were making kids in red and black go home and change."
Pfeifer said the school was questioning a number of students about the threats. "There are rumors all the time, but we felt this was past a level that we could ignore," Pfeifer said. "We're doing everything we can to keep the campus safe, and if we're overreacting, then so be it."
Everman Junior High School's Assistant Principal Reatha Baker said around mid-morning that there was no fight and, contrary to some rumors, no weapons were located. "We are trying to be proactive and address things before they happen and focus on being safe," she said. "We try to teach our students to work together."
Early in the day, some speculated that the rumors were stoked by excitement about the high school football playoff game. Everma, ranked No. 2 in 4A, takes on Aledo during tonight's playoff game.
-Eva-Marie Ayala and Shirley Jinkins
