Montgomery schools superintendent discusses events leading to backpack ban
Republished from WEKU.
The superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools said the backpack ban at the county’s middle and high school instituted Monday may be a temporary measure. Matt Thompson says the ban was preceded by a McNabb Middle student allegedly bringing a gun to school Tuesday, which they learned about several hours after school. That was followed by what he calls a tremendous amount of anxiety and incorrect information and the decision to cancel district classes Friday.
“Knowing that every long-term option that we look at was not going to be quick in any way, whether that’s, you know, looking at extra infrastructure, kinds of pieces, addition to facilities, all of those things are going to take time.”
Thompson said criminal charges have been filed against the student accused of bringing a gun to school and district administrative consequences are underway. He also said this month has been the worst in his 27 years in education.
“The sheer quantity of threats and rumors of threats that have come into schools across the Commonwealth, but also across the nation, is at an all-time high.”
Thompson said they’ve increased the law enforcement presence at district schools, including the local sheriffs’ office, police department and state police. He said they’re also emphasizing the message, “If you see something, say something” – in part because they didn’t learn about the gun at McNabb until that evening.
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Originally published by WEKU.
Republished with permission.
