LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Parents are upset after a student somehow got a loaded handgun into a classroom at Henry Clay High School, prompting a lockdown. No one was hurt. That student was arrested and now the district is reviewing its security procedures.
Fayette County Public Schools Police Chief Martin Schafer said a student told a staff member Thursday morning that they thought someone might have a gun. The school went into lockdown, with students barricaded in classrooms and no one allowed in or out of the building. The chief said officers found a loaded handgun in a 15-year-old student's backpack in the classroom with him.
"We do not have any reason to believe the student intended to use the weapon. We have not found any credible evidence that threats were ever made against our students, staff, or campus. We are still investigating how that weapon got into the building," Schafer said.
Officers arrested that student, charging him with possession of a weapon on school property. After three hours of waiting, students reunited with their parents, who had formed a long line outside the school. In an age where we see school shootings regularly across the country, they're thankful for this outcome. Principal Paul Little said a culture of trust between staff and students means people feel comfortable with the "see something, say something" concept.
"You hope it never happens, but the procedures are in place and, thank goodness, they work," Little said.
But there is one aspect of the procedures that parents are upset with.
"I never imagined I would have to get a text message from my daughter in a barricaded room in a school with metal detectors — a failed process, obviously, that we've paid for," Matt Stacy said during a Thursday evening school board meeting.
Administrators and students said there are metal detectors that every student goes through in the morning. Security also checks students' bags, although students told LEX 18 some of those checks are more thorough than others. At a school board meeting tonight, two parents said they were frustrated with the way that gun somehow slipped through the cracks.
"I find it shocking and irresponsible that classes can be held tomorrow at Henry Clay when I hear that we do not understand how that individual was allowed to enter the school building today. How, as a parent, are we supposed to feel comfortable with that?" said Barbara Smith.
Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Demetrus Liggins promised a review of all their security procedures.
"We are an organization committed to continuous improvement, so we're looking at all of the things that occurred today and all of the things that possibly have led to what occurred today, and ensuring that we are going to continue to improve if we find that there are holes in some of our systems," he said.
LEX 18's Christiana Ford spoke with Jon Akers, the executive director of the Kentucky Center for School Safety, about metal detectors in schools. He said only about three percent of schools in Kentucky use metal detectors and the schools that have them often don't keep them.
"I can tell you that historically, schools that have had metal detection, usually in about four or five years, don't do anymore. The reason being is because, you know, they realize that it can be — kids can find go rounds on those to get whatever they want into a building," Akers said.
Classes will resume as normal at Henry Clay Friday. The superintendent said they'll have counselors there for students who are having trouble with what happened there today.
