How did parents and students feel in the aftermath of the weapon being found inside of Maize High School?
“I was terrified. It’s honestly one of my worst nightmares. I immediately called both my boys.”
Words from a mother of two Maize High School students after a loaded handgun was found at their school.
Three arrests were made after the firearm was found in a backpack. Two of the accused students were taken to juvenile detention and one is set to appear in court. The week of this event, there were several incidents of gun violence that had caused fear and anger on social media. With this event occurring in the midst of that, parents and students have thoughts and concerns that are important to recognize.
There were multiple reports of a gun being at school that were made by students. The police were notified, the gun was confiscated and the situation was handled before the need for a lockdown presented itself. This was a shocking situation for many students and parents but the idea of potential gun violence is not far fetched for Maize High junior Samuel Berry.
“No. It does not surprise me. The world we live in often resorts to violence as a first solution. I don’t know the story, but I do know that guns should never be on school property. Kind of a no-brainer,” Berry says.
Authorities emphasize, there was no actual threat made surrounding the gun. No student had a specific plan for violence that police found. Either way, for parents, the thought of a gun being in the school you send your children to can be very unsettling.
“It does call for panic when our kids tell us things that are happening at school and we haven’t had any communication from the school yet.” Cassi Flower, a Maize High mother sharing her perspective after an email was sent out to students and parents after school hours to explain the situation. Parents have voiced their criticisms on social media platforms like Facebook, and to the school, on the lack of information.
“I understand why they waited until after school to send out the email to prevent a mass flood of parents at the school to pick up their kids,” Flower says, “I definitely think it could’ve been handled differently but again there are so many details about the situation that I don’t know. You hear about things from other parents or other students, but when the school is so tightlipped about situations, it’s hard to know what really happened to know what could have been done differently.”
Maize High staff has had several meetings since the day the gun was found. A topic of discussion had been the implementation of clear backpacks and metal detectors. OneMaize Media has posted prompts to see parent and student opinions on this. Several students including Maize High junior, Brooklyn Cornwell, discuss opinions on the success these tactics could have.
“Clear backpacks aren’t really necessary – it’s a waste of money for those who can’t afford to spend extra on a backpack, especially when their kid already has one. Metal detectors are more effective, since guns set them off, and many other things could also trigger them,” Cornwell says.
After a slew of suggestions, comments, and fears, Maize school district is putting youth safety at the forefront of minds. Jo Bensing, another Maize High parent, says, “This is the state of the world now unfortunately. Gun violence is real and it’s daily. A person runs the risk of being shot when they go to Walmart or the movies. Until we change our mindset that lead to different laws, this is our reality.”
The Maize School district is doing everything to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again. “All we can do is our best and rely on our neighbor that they are also doing their best,” Bensing says.
If you hear talk of any potential violence or a threat within Maize Schools, please contact the district and Maize police department.
What are the most effective and practical routes forward to keep weapons out of school, and keep students safe?
Since that day, people have been wondering what are the next steps for preventing the next weapon from entering school buildings. Ideas such as clear backpacks and random searches have been floated amongst the community.
However, the installation of metal detectors appears to be a popular suggestion amongst students and parents. In order to find out if this is a viable solution, OneMaize Media’s Lance Schafer and Mason Bauman spoke with admin and dug into data to learn more. The two searched to find which methods might be the most, and least effective.
Will this impact future Maize educators, and how does Maize PD evaluate the situation?
A sad truth for people considering a profession in education is the unfortunate chance of experiencing gun related violence at some point in their career. Could this drive away quality candidates? How does the next generation handle news such as this, considering it has been increasingly common over the last 25 years?
Local law enforcement must also take time to prepare for the unexpected, including the possibility of violence within our schools. However, one local official believes the key to preventing these situations could lie within the community itself. OneMaize Media’s Hailey Blurton spoke with a prospective teacher and a Maize police officer to find out more.
