East reflects; discusses lockdown

GREEN BAY - East side schools faced a real security test Monday afternoon, earlier than expected.

Schools located in the East quadrant attendance area were briefly locked down.

For about 45 minutes no one was allowed in or out of schools because of a situation in the neighborhood.

"It was scary. We were sitting on the couch watching a movie and she actually checked her voicemail and got it so I came down here right away," said parent Gilbert Cloyd.

The district sent parents an alert. It said police were dealing with a possibly suicidal man.

Luckily, the situation was resolved relatively quickly. However, parents say because of what happened in Connecticut, it was hard not to assume the worst.

"I'm just glad it wasn't anything serious," Cloyd said.

"It's like why now? Why now? Then again, I guess, why not now?" said East High School principal Edward Dorff. "We're prepared for it. We do know what we're talking about and it's in the front of our minds."

Dorff says overall, things went smoothly. However Dorff says everyone was still on edge because of Friday's tragedy.

Especially, he says, since it hits so close to home.

"You see it with the staff members who were here six years ago when we had our threat crisis," Dorff said.

In September of 2006, law enforcement uncovered a "Columbine-style" plot at the high school.

Since then, Dorff says the schools have improved security measures. And even before Friday's shooting, he says there were plans to tighten them even more, starting with changes to ID cards.

"We're going to be doing them a little differently in terms of where kids can get them, when they can get them how they get them," Dorff explained. "After a certain point, if they're continuing to forget or neglect to wear them, then we will print them a new one down here, and bill or charge them for it."

While there's always room for improvement, Dorff feels the school is as prepared as it can be.

Dorff hopes to also improve the way the school monitors who enters and leaves the school.

He says that starts by not allowing students to loiter around the security desk.