HENRICO COUNTY, Va -- Henrico County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Amy Cashwell called a recent string of school threats across the district "really alarming" and discussed the district's plans to address rising youth violence in an interview with CBS 6.
Many Henrico parents expressed growing concerns over the safety of their children this week after a loaded gun was recovered from Holman Middle School last Friday, and a threatening message was discovered at Pocahontas Middle School Wednesday which prompted an increased police presence at the school for a day.
Data provided by the district showed a total of 87 weapons, including nine guns, were recovered from Henrico Schools property during the 2021-2022 school year.
This current school year so far, 32 weapons have been confiscated, including four guns.
“We want the school, Henrico County, they should put more measures for kids’ security," parent Nitie Patra said.
“It's definitely a hot topic that families in the entire community need to be involved with," parent Kate Garitz said.
“I don’t see how more people aren’t just losing it," parent Arielle Choudry said. "We need more. We demand more."
With parental worries in mind, Dr. Cashwell sent a lengthy email to families on Sunday detailing the district's efforts to strengthen safety measures.
Though a Henrico Schools spokesperson initially said Cashwell wanted to hold off on media interviews until she received more information related to metal detectors, Cashwell agreed to speak with CBS 6 when approached Thursday night after a Henrico School Board meeting.
“My message to families wasn't in response to any one incident, but this collective, ongoing trend we're seeing that is really alarming," Cashwell said.
One part of Cashwell's message that received mixed reactions from parents pertained to the testing of metal detectors at some schools. Cashwell said HCPS committed to a field test back in December, and the metal detectors will be rolling out in February.
“There are various types of metal detectors out there, so whether it's a handheld wand, a walk-through, or some of the other technologies that are weapons detectors, we want to understand how those may work at various campus styles entryways, what are the logistics involved, and that's what the field test will do for us," Cashwell said.
An email shared with CBS 6 by a parent showed the district's Chief of Operations said the field test will apply to a "select number" of middle schools and high schools. Testing will last for about two weeks, and not all students in selected schools will be impacted.
Cashwell said she understands parents have many questions about the metal detectors, but the specific details are still being worked out. She said families whose schools will be impacted by the field test should hear from their principal in advance.
Other parents told the Problem Solvers they were upset that Cashwell's email left out what they believed to be an important part of school safety: discipline.
Parents said they worried the consequences for student infractions have become too loose.
But Cashwell said the district is "firm" in its discipline policies which are laid out in the Code of Conduct.
“Certainly, firm discipline is a part of the way we handle school discipline action, being clear about the consequences. But again, making sure that we're reinforcing the positive behaviors that we're seeing in our schools," Cashwell said. "And when students aren't meeting the mark there, that we're helping them understand what our expectations, so we don't have reoccurrences of discipline issues."
She added, "Making threats against others, against the school, bringing weapons on campus, those are serious infractions, not just within our student conduct, but carry consequences with law enforcement as well."
Cashwell said schools cannot solve the issue alone, and asked parents to monitor their kids' social media and check their backpacks.
“I am calling on our families and our caregivers to have conversations with their students about the real consequences," she said.
The school system also relies on help from law enforcement. The Henrico Police Department said it currently has 34 school resource officers assigned to schools and is actively trying to hire more officers.
All middle and high schools have an SRO on site except the Achievable Dream Academy at the Oak Avenue Complex.
Elementary schools do not have an SRO assigned to them, but SROs from middle schools are able to assist elementary schools as needed.
Moving forward, the superintendent said she welcomed as much community feedback as possible on the topic of safety and security.
Some opportunities include a town hall hosted by the School Board on February 2 and getting plugged into school Parent Teacher Associations.
While increased safety measures are expected to come with a price tag, school officials are still determining a cost estimate for the initiatives. However, Cashwell said the district is "well-positioned" to come up with the money, and that the school board is committed to making it work.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story.
