INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana School Resource Officer Associationsays they are seeing an increase in kids bringing weapons to schools throughout the Hoosier state.
“It’s a very sad trend that we are seeing right now,” Julie Quesenbery, Indiana School Resource Officers Association president said.
Indiana School Resource Officer Association believes one of the reasons for the increase could be tied kids having trouble with conflict resolution.
Since Monday, WRTV has reported that at least 4 threats have been made to schools throughout the state. In at least one instance, Decatur Central High School was placed on lockdown after a gun was found on campus. IMPD says the students involved were detained.
“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare you send your kids off to school and you want to know what’s going on,” Adam Lanman, Monroe County resident said.
Last week a 14-year-old boy was arrested after being found with a gun at Edgewood Junior High School. Lanman said his two children were in school when it happened.
“My daughter was terrified because I was just at home waiting for them," Lanman said. "I hugged them. When they both came in – they saw the fear in me, and they are young I don’t think they realized what could have happened.”
"As of October 24th, of this year there have been 257 school shootings on school campus, passing the 250 total for all of 2021 – and that happened in October,” Julie Quesenbery, president of the Indiana School Resource Officers Association said.
Quesenbery said those numbers are nationwide and that schools need more resource officers to help slow down the trend that they are seeing right now.
“While equipment is nice, we can gage students as they are coming in – talk with them and build relationships where they feel safe so they can talk with us and let us know what’s going on,” said Quesenbery.
ISTA President Keith Gambill sent this statement to WRTV regarding the ongoing threats in schools.
Every student in Indiana deserves a welcoming and safe learning environment, free from the fear of gun violence in their school or community. Safe schools are an important part of safe communities where students, their families and educators can walk to school, shop at the grocery store, and attend religious services, a concert, or a movie without fear or threat of violence. We can’t have safe schools without safe communities.
To do this, we need the help from our leaders, and responsible gun owners. 90 percent of Americans, people of all races, places, and parties, support common-sense solutions that keep guns out of schools and keep students and educators safe. We also need parents who are gun owners to do the responsible thing and keep their firearms locked away out of the reach of children. All of us working together, parents, educators, and lawmakers, can make our schools safer and welcoming for all students.
