‘Code Red’ drill policy changed after scare

Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said his agency is changing the way it conducts “Code Red” exercises at local schools after an unannounced drill at Lake Brantley High School panicked students and infuriated parents last week.

Going forward, Lemma said the sheriff’s office will still conduct “Code Red” drills — which are mandated by the state — but will let students, faculty and parents know the threat isn’t real as soon as the drill is announced.

The policy change comes five days after an unannounced drill caused many students to think an active shooter was actually targeting their school. A loudspeaker announcement that initiated the drill gave no indication the threat wasn’t real.

Even Lake Brantley teachers weren’t warned of the drill when they received a text message that read, “Active Shooter reported at Brantley / Building 1/ Building 2 and other buildings by B Shafer at 10:21:45. Initiate a Code Red Lockdown.”

Nearly an hour after the beginning of the exercise, administrators posted a message on the school’s Facebook page telling parents the threat was not real.

“Getting a random mid-day text from my son that says ‘I love you - there is a shooter on campus’ is not the way I want to be notified of a drill,” said one person who posted a comment on the school’s Facebook status.

“The bottom line is this — we are no longer going to do these unannounced Code Red drills in that manner anymore ...” Lemma said in a statement. “Effective immediately when an unannounced drill is conducted we will notify everyone … at that very moment that what is occurring is only a drill and not a real threat.”

Under the previous policy, only the principal and school-resource officer were notified of the unannounced drills, Seminole County Schools spokesman Michael Lawrence said last week. When the drills are announced, Lawrence said the students don’t take them seriously.