Schools are not only tasked with educating children. Keeping students safe is also a priority. 

On Wednesday, Sep. 3, 2025, Rockville High School faced a test of its safety readiness during a “swatting call.” 

According to the Department of Homeland Security, swatting is a serious hoax that involves making a false report of an ongoing emergency to emergency services with the intent of drawing a large-scale tactical response. 

As of August, Montgomery County Public Schools began using updated safety protocols known as SRP 2025. The system uses five commands: hold, secure, lockdown, evacuate and shelter. During the swatting call, staff executed the directive, “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight.”

For some teachers, the difference between training and action was surprising. 

Elizabeth Seabreeze, a government teacher at RHS, admitted that the lockdown caught her off guard.

“I haven’t spent that much time thinking about the new procedure yet. We are so busy with the everyday needs of the students,” Seabreeze said. “I don’t think I knew exactly what to do [during the lockdown], other than to keep calm and make sure all my students seemed emotionally OK.”

For music teacher Beatriz Barion Fanzeres, the incident reinforced the importance of personal readiness and efficiency. 

“When we know that we’re going to do a drill, we already mentally prepare ourselves … but when you actually do have an incident where it’s not a drill … if this was to happen and [my keys] weren’t close to me, how many more seconds would it take for me to actually lock down my classroom?” Barion Fanzeres said. 

Barion Fanzeres also raised a concern about audibility in loud classrooms. She said that, especially in band class, it can be difficult to hear the announcements. 

Students had mixed reactions. Some were terrified, and others seemed unconcerned. 

“I was kind of bored. But there was also, like, a small sense of fear … what’s the real story?” said Kaisa Tolman, a sophomore at RHS. 

Tolman was in contact with her parents during the lockdown. Like many students, she was forced to rely on rumors for information, as official communication through teachers was limited. She suggested the creation of a clear outlet where students can receive news. 

Outside of school, parents faced stress. Aruni Jayasuriya, a parent of two children at Rockville, said she felt “very scared,” and she said the uncertainty of not knowing what was happening was very stressful. 

Jayasuriya received information from her children via text messages. 

“Those text messages were somewhat [of a] relief to know that my kids were safe at the moment,” Jayasuriya said. 

Before the lockdown, Jayasuriya was not fully aware of the lockdown policies, but she did find comfort in the new approach. 

“It is always good to know that a standardized response plan is in place,” Jayasuriya said. 

In response to the swatting call, Rockville held a “safety day” on Friday, Sept. 26, when officials and staff members ran through protocols and distributed packets about the procedures. The information distributed on the packets can also be found on the I Love U Guys Foundation website. 

The swatting call taught Rockville an important lesson: Being prepared matters. 

As Barion Fanzeres said, “You never know when an incident will happen.”