Dual Perspectives on September 15: How Our School is Protecting You

Roz Rabinowitz using the student sign-in station, located in the front office. These computers are one of the school's many safety features. Photo Creds: Harper Costin 

Harper Costin, Staff Writer for the Powderhorn 

Sandy Hook, Columbine, Parkland, and Uvalde are some of the many names ingrained in the modern student's mind. Violence in schools is a growing issue, and the anxiety these events instill in adolescents is growing at a parallel rate. On September 15, 2025, Watauga High School experienced a threat to student safety that was later proven to be innocuous. Following that day, our School Resource Officers and Administration team have worked to restore a feeling of security and safety within the student body. Although steps are constantly taken to prioritize student safety, many still experience waves of unease during their time spent at school. These feelings from our student body should not be neglected. Through conversation, Lieutenant Seth Morrison let students know how to combat fear with the powers of knowledge and reporting. 

Most students will report that gun violence in schools has been a memorable issue throughout their educational careers, sparking worry when entering classrooms and even causing distractions from learning. The attendance reports of September 15 showed a large increase in absences. Junior, Ella Powell, explained her perspective on that day, with which hundreds of students can find common ground. 

“I was having a lot of anxiety about the possible threat, and I just felt like it wasn't worth it to show up to school if I was just going to be anxious all day,” said Powell. “I thought it would impair my ability to learn. Ever since stuff like that has shown up on the news, I've always been pretty worried about it. I'll hear sounds in school or hear threats of bombs or shootings, and I don't want to go to school.”

A root of the worry, Morrison agreed, comes from students receiving information on situations like threats from unreliable sources, such as word of mouth or social media platforms. Watauga County Schools works to clearly communicate with parents and students regarding all possible breaches in safety, so receiving information directly from the school is the most trustworthy option. 

“I know students talk a lot, but the more information that gets out there, it tends to kind of skew things, and information can get twisted,” said Morrison. “And the more people talk, the more twisted it gets. If people would just bank on what the school puts out and what the sheriff's office puts out, that's going to be your true information.” 

Morrison is also a supporter of the “Say Something” anonymous reporting system, which students can use to alert adults within our school system of any behaviors they see that could put someone in a harmful situation. This platform has been extremely beneficial for our school system. Reporting something seemingly small can make an impactful difference. Noticing warning signs in a classmate and having the opportunity to act is one of the best ways to create a safe and positive environment within our school.

“It's absolutely been helpful. I'm on the district team, so I get all of the Say Something reports for every school,” said Morrison. “It's alerted us to some things and not necessarily violent, like mass violence things, but a lot of personal situations where we've been able to step in and help students who may be having some issues at home or different things.”

Students have expressed curiosity about the steps being taken by our school to keep us protected, aside from the situations being communicated to us. The process is thorough and well-meaning, leaving as little as possible unresearched and putting in the maximum effort to keep students protected. Nothing is ever ignored, and each step in the investigative process is carried out with care. 

“If we have any reports at all, we investigate everything that we get. Whether we feel it's accurate or not, we investigate all of them as extensively as we can,” said Morrison. “The first step is we look into where it's coming from, see if we can determine who's doing it or what kind of organization it is, and investigate it.” 

Depending on the type of safety breach, procedures may vary, but the intention never does. While fear may never completely disappear, students can find comfort in knowing that their safety will always remain the top priority of Watauga High School.

Morrison’s main goal for students is “for them to know that we are going to do the absolute best we can to do our job and we're not going to put them in harm's way.”