MANCHESTER, N.Y. — Some parents in an Ontario County school district are still looking for answers after a student was charged with allegedly bringing a loaded handgun on campus three weeks ago.
Staff at Red Jacket High School in the Manchester-Shortsville Central School District say they disarmed the 15-year-old boy before the school went into lockdown. He was later charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon occurring on school grounds.
A few parents spoke out at a district board of education meeting.
"I don't think there was really a dialogue, I think the school board followed a script," said parent Jill Persson. "I don't know that they are processing the concerns of the community. I think that it almost comes across to me that they are on the defensive and they're not really looking for ways to address the issues that led up to April 1."
The superintended defended the district.
"Red Jacket prides itself on placing our students first," said Superintendent Charlene Dehn. "The district will continue to provide students and staff with the support that they need. We strive to continually improve at Red Jacket and we're very proud of the courageous acts of our staff, so I'm confident we'll learn from this experience."
The district is now reviewing its emergency response plans and Superintendent Dehn said it is looking into metal detectors at entrances and restoring the school resource officer position.