Gun found at Rock Hill HS, marking third in 3 days within S.C. school district
The gun was found inside a student’s car on Wednesday after deputies received a tip.
ROCK HILL, S.C. (WBTV) - A gun was found in a student’s car at Rock Hill High School on Wednesday, the York County Sheriff’s Office said.
This comes after two guns had already been found at schools within the district this academic year, with all three now being discovered within the past three days.
Deputies searched the student’s vehicle after receiving a tip.
The student was confronted and took off running. Deputies are still attempting to track down that student.
”We will be more proactive in addressing safety and security in all of our schools,” Rock Hill Schools district spokesperson Lindsay Machak said. “When it comes to district administration, this is the kind of stuff that keeps us up at night. This is the thing that worries us. This is the thing we are consistently, constantly worried about and trying to improve upon.”
The school district has already put some measures, such as random searches, into place to improve security. The district is pushing the 24-hour tipline that everyone can use.
Schools in the district have metal detectors, but they aren’t currently meant for everyday use. The school board could elect to change that.
“The number one goal is to make sure that everyone in that building is safe and secure,” board chairwoman and Rock Hill Schools parent Helena Miller said.
Miller said that the board will have an agenda item discussing the firearm-related incidents and what it can do to address them.
“What other measurements can we take? And that is the next step to have a conversation about what is the next step that can be taken in order to make sure that we are on the forefront,” she said. “If it was as easy as implementing X and it would all be magically fixed, every school district in the entire country would do that.”
Miller says the district and board have heard from parents, community members and stakeholders about what those groups would like to see done. She says everything will be weighed to create a fix that will best serve the district.
The chairwoman says the board will definitely have an agenda item discussing these incidents and what the board can do to address them. She wants the community to come together to help fight this issue. It is not just a school issue--she says--it is also a community issue and a home issue. “Everyone needs to get involved,” she says.
Related: 14-year-old student arrested after pulling gun during fight
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