Students worry about potential school shootings at Lamar
On Oct.6, Lamar’s administration was made aware of a video of a student showing a gun while in one of Lamar’s parking lots. That student was found and arrested, but the gun turned out to be a BB gun.
Many school shootings have been occurring recently. About three weeks ago, Timberview High School in Mansfield experienced a school shooter on Oct.6. Four people were injured in the shooting, and the suspect faced multiple charges of aggravated assault with a gun. Although the Lamar incident that same day was was a fake gun, the situation still made Lamar students worried.
“It’s scary to think that what happened at Timberview could also happen here…,” senior Alex Rodriguez said. “My mom even called me that day with so much concern in her voice when she heard what was going on.”
Dr. Marcelo Cavazos, Arlington ISD’s uperintendent, sent an email to parents and guardians stating that this would be a good time to talk to their children about real or fake threats against schools. Whether the weapon is real or fake, the situation will be investigated.
“Sometimes I do worry about my safety here, you never really know what could happen the moment you walk through those doors…,” senior Kyle Smith said. “People fight here almost every day and you never know if one of them has a knife or gun to use.”
Students are encouraged to use the schools’ “Stop It” app. The Stop It app is a way that students can anonymously report any concerns that they may have. For example, if a student is concerned about a fight happening, they can anonymously report it on the Stop It app and it will be investigated by administrators. The app is available to anyone that would like to use it.
“I have a senior in high school right now, and on a day-to-day basis, I am not too terribly concerned about their safety…,” Lamar principal Andy Hagman said. “I understand the percentages in terms of things that occur across the country and the number of schools and the reality is that the percentages are low.”
