Massachusetts School Student Allegedly Brought Gun to Campus, Security Conversations to Follow

After a summer school student allegedly brought a gun to campus in July, school officials are meeting to discuss a comprehensive security approach as well as school safety assessments.

• By Kaitlyn DeHaven
• August 15, 2019

Last month, a summer school student brought what appeared to be a gun to Haverhill High in Massachusetts, and subsequently fled after a teacher and security guards spotted the firearm.

Mayor James Fiorentini said the school was in the middle of revising their security plans and equipment, but this incident encouraged them to work on the plan even quicker.

“We were already in the process of updating our security plans, policies and procedures, but we will be expediting that process due to the recent incident," Fiorentini said, noting that there were two security guards in the high school at the time of the incident.

He said he and the superintendent are reviewing existing school security and will hire a private security company to do a complete audit of the high school building and campus.

"The high school incident happened in the middle of this review, but it certainly provided us with a reason to speed it up and make sure we quickly make any updates and improvements to our security plans that are recommended by police," Fiorentini said. "We’ve had school safety plans for many years and we are always updating them, but what happened last week is totally unacceptable and must not happen again."

City Councilor Joseph Bevilacqua said even though some students, teachers and parents don’t like the idea of increased security, such as metal detectors, it’s important to keep the public comforted in this time of heightened stress. He said especially after this student allegedly brought a gun on campus, everyone’s fears are heightened.

"Now, with a student allegedly bringing a gun to the high school, it has parents and others greatly concerned," Bevilacqua said. "We see in the press about copycats, which is another of my concerns. I don't want to see another kid trying to do the same thing, just so they can say they got away with it."

The School Safety Subcommittee met last week and discussed a school safety assessment, as well as a comprehensive security approach.

"No child should ever be in fear in our schools," Fiorentini said. "With the most recent horrific national events, we need to be certain we are taking every and all precautions and measures recommended by police and security professionals."