GALVESTON, Texas – Parents plan to attend the Galveston Independent School District board meeting Wednesday night to ask for added security measures at schools.
On Tuesday, Ball Hall School was placed on a brief lockdown after a student was accused of bringing an unloaded handgun to campus.
“Something needs to be done and these people need to open their eyes and do something now," said Debbie Gast who has a grandson who attends Ball High School.
Following the incident, Gast said she was gathering parents to attend the Wednesday evening Galveston ISD board meeting to vocalize their concerns about the students' safety.
“It has got to start somewhere,” said Gast. “I think they’ve needed metal detectors at Ball High School for a long time and they need to do it now.”
Petra Longoria has two children who attend the high school and said that she will attend the meeting because she wants to share her thoughts and listen to others.
“I want to see more security, “ said Longoria, “Maybe the mesh backpacks where you can see what the kids are bringing in, along with metal detectors at the main door.”
Freshman Lilian DuPont said that she was in choir class when a teacher announced the lockdown over the intercom. She said it was difficult to type but she composed a social media post from a student's perspective during the lockdown.
“No child should have to experience the feeling that they might not make it home that night," said DuPont.
DuPont said she believes something needs to change because she doesn’t feel safe at school.
“This is a situation that needs to be handled and it can’t be handled without discussion," she said.
According to district officials, safety policies would be reviewed following the incident. The district reported that Galveston ISD requires two drills per semester for lockdown, lock out, shelter in place and reverse evacuation.
Longoria acknowledged that she believes the training is valuable and believes she was notified in a timely fashion but says it isn't enough.
“I want them to go to school. I don’t want them to go to school and be scared," she said.