That is one of the dramatic stories which emerged from Monday's armed offenders incident near Palmerston which had pupils of two schools locked in their classrooms for 90 minutes.
The alarming text was sent by a senior high school pupil to her mother during the emergency.
The parent, who did not wish to be identified, said the text from her daughter was the first she knew about the emergency at the school.
She had been relieved her daughter had had a cellphone with her, even though it was against school rules.
The incident when two offenders allegedly shot at police and were arrested just north of Palmerston was discussed at a special assembly at East Otago High School yesterday, attended by Waihemo Victim Support co-ordinator Diane Curtis and Palmerston station officer in charge Constable Stefan Witehira.
It gave pupils the chance to ask questions about the police chase and the arrest of the alleged offenders, East Otago High School principal Rick Geerlofs said yesterday The students and staff at East Otago High School coped well with the lockdown, he said.
There were lessons to be learned - the procedures for advising classes needed to be streamlined. There were phones in only three of five classroom blocks, so the other two might need phones installed.
Younger pupils at Palmerston Primary School kept calm, principal Dan Dilkes said yesterday, although some students opted to scramble under tables when the announcement of the emergency was made.
Strong teacher-pupil relationships helped maintain a calm atmosphere in classrooms, he said Parents who came to the school to collect their children at 3pm mostly had been unaware of the emergency, Mr Dilkes said.
Every parent came into the school. Some parents went to their children's classrooms and sat with the children. Some read to the children, he said.
The Oamaru police were very helpful and kept the school informed during the lockdown, Mr Dilkes said.
The police had done a very good job in chasing and apprehending the alleged offenders and protecting the Palmerston community, Waihemo Community Board chairman Rod Philip said yesterday The people of Palmerston were praised for their co-operation by Detective Sergeant Mike Ryder of Oamaru. Many people had been inconvenienced by the incident, he said.
