'Dads On Duty' Sign Up To Prevent Fighting At Seneca Valley High

GERMANTOWN, MD — Students at Seneca Valley High School evacuated the building twice last week for reported safety threats, according to the school's and principal's Twitter accounts. The evacuations were on Dec. 8 and Dec. 10.

"We are working with our police and emergency partners to resolve," the schools Twitter account said at 9:34 a.m. on Dec. 10. "MCPS busses are on the way to keep students and staff warm."

Just after 10 o'clock the principal tweeted that the building was cleared by Montgomery County Police and students were allowed back in. MyMCM reported that students then had to go into a shelter in place after someone reported hearing gunshots, but that was determined to be a vehicle backfiring.

These weren't the first incidents at the school this year — Fox5 D.C. reported in November that parents at the school said there had been multiple lockdowns and a fight that shut down a football game.

Also in November, principal Marc Cohen called on dads to participate in the "Dads on Duty" program, which is intended to prevent fighting during certain parts of the school day. Cohen tweeted that "a group of involved parents has identified a shared interest in increasing the presence of dads in the building at key times of the day to help us maintain a positive energy, to provide support in supervision, and to mentor students who could benefit from some extra TLC."

NBC4 reported on the group of dads working to make students feel safe.