Paul D. Schreiber High School and Carrie Palmer Weber Middle School went on lockdown earlier this month after police received a false report that an armed individual was believed to be near the campus grounds.
Cops from the Port Washington Police Department (PWPD) answered a call at 2:35 p.m. Wednesday, June 5, about a potentially armed individual walking near 16 Handles, a frozen yogurt shop, on Port Boulevard. Officials at Paul D. Schreiber High School and Carrie Palmer Weber Middle School were notified and went on lockdown to ensure that all students and staff remained safely inside, with all entrances securely monitored and restricted.
The police report, however, was later determined to be false—after the PWPD learned that the supposed firearm was a water gun designed to resemble a handgun, part of a popular game for high school seniors called ‘Senior Assassins’.
High school seniors play this game in which one student is assigned another student. The student is then tasked with discreetly shooting their assigned peer with a water gun to eliminate them from the game. The game picked up popularity on social media apps like TikTok.
While the game is a fun way for seniors to play with their friends during the last few months of school, its risky behavior has led to police-involved situations in many areas around the country.
The two schools lifted the lockdown at 2:55 p.m., on the advice of the PWPD, when the issue was resolved.
In May, Schreiber High School Principal Kati Behr sent out a letter to the community outlining the dangers of participating in Senior Assasin.
“While [the game] may seem innocent, to community members unfamiliar with the game and the increasing resemblance to real handguns, these acts can cause fear and alarm,” wrote Behr.
After the lockdown on June 5, Behr sent out another message noting how disruptive the game was to the schools and surrounding community.
“Instruction was compromised,” Behr wrote. “The health and safety of more than 2500 students and 400 staff members were potentially impacted, news crews were alerted, and the police were on high alert where a major accident could have taken place because the water gun looked like a real one, complete with a magazine mimicking ammunition storage.”
In her message, she explicitly called for the participation in Senior Assasin to stop immediately and encouraged parents to discuss the situation with their children to ensure they stop playing the game.
