KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
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A Leavenworth High School student was arrested Monday afternoon after bringing a gun to school, and parents are demanding answers.
Leavenworth Police Chief Pat Kitchens said the school SRO officer was notified late in the day that a student brought a gun to school.
The SRO officer detained the student and located a gun in his book bag.
The student was then arrested for criminal possession of a weapon and transported to the Wyandotte County Detention Center, Kitchens said.
Tuesday, the school district and police department issued a joint statement.
Yesterday, students at Leavenworth High School reported that a student may have been in possession of a firearm in the building. Administration and the School Resource Officer (SRO) responded immediately, removing the individual and their personal belongings from the student population and securing them in an administrative office. School administration and law enforcement then began their investigation.
As the investigation continued, the SRO and additional on-duty police officers assisted school administration in recovering the firearm and detaining the student. Because the arrest of a juvenile who may be taken to a detention facility requires judicial approval, the process can take several hours. The time needed to address the immediate situation, conduct the investigation, and coordinate with the appropriate authorities contributed to the delay in notifying families. Ultimately, the student was arrested, transported to a juvenile detention facility in the Kansas City metropolitan area, and subsequently charged with Criminal Use of a Weapon.
After consulting with law enforcement on campus, it was determined that a lockdown was not necessary. Once administration became aware of the situation, the student was immediately removed and contained, allowing the situation to be addressed without placing the remainder of the school into lockdown.
We understand families want timely information when a safety situation occurs at their child’s school. Our first responsibility in the moment is to secure the situation, ensure the safety of our students and staff, and allow administrators and law enforcement to respond appropriately. Once those immediate responsibilities are addressed and we have accurate information that can be shared, our goal is to communicate with families as quickly as possible.
We are especially grateful to the students who brought their concerns directly to adults. They did exactly what we ask of our students: they saw something and said something, giving the adults responsible for their safety the opportunity to take immediate action.
We continue to encourage our students and staff to bring every rumor or concern to the attention of administration so it can be appropriately vetted. We are aware that additional concerns have been brought forward, and administration and law enforcement continue to investigate each one. At this time, no credible threat has been identified following the initial incident. However, administration and law enforcement will continue to review each rumor and concern carefully. Local law enforcement, along with district administration, has been providing additional support at the high school today to ensure the safety of all students and staff.
The safety of our students and staff remains our highest priority.
Parents said they were notified Monday around the time school let out — hours after the incident occurred.
When some parents called the school after hearing about the incident, they were told it was a rumor. Kayla Martin, a Leavenworth High School parent, said she learned the truth from a child, not school staff.
She pulled her freshman daughter out of school just before third-hour lunch. Martin said this is not the first time the district has handled a situation this way.
"When I called the school, they're telling me that it's just a rumor, and I find out from a child that it's not. That's a concern to me..." Martin said.
Martin said her daughter came home shaken.
"She told me when she got home yesterday, she's like, 'Mom, how am I supposed to learn? I'm scared. We're all scared,'" she said. "And that makes it really hard and unfortunate for these kids."
Martin said the community has already experienced tragedy, and her daughter is scared for her friends.
"We've had some tragedies in Leavenworth already. We're a small town," she said. "And she's scared for her friends. She's scared for everybody. You shouldn't have to worry about this."
Martin also expressed frustration with Kansas' statewide cellphone ban, saying it left parents without a direct line to their children during the incident.
"The governor is so focused on cellphones and these high schoolers and children in general having cellphones, and we're not taking care of the prime problem," Martin said.
She called for metal detectors and other safety measures in schools.
"We really need to wake up and fix some things," she said. "You know, we need metal detectors, we need many things within our schools to help them."
Mike McCoy, another Leavenworth High School parent, has a senior and a sophomore at the school. He said he also called the school several times and will not send his kids back until he gets answers. His students and their friends told him it was too close of a call.
"I get it. They maybe didn't want to cause mass hysteria for the parents. I get that part," McCoy said. "But I think the way this was handled was completely wrong. To ease some of the parents, could have went on a lockdown."
McCoy said receiving the notification was deeply distressing.
"I suffer from PTSD. So to get a text message like that, could you imagine what went through my head? It's a very scary moment," he said. "That was very hard for me to take, to see that text message, 'cause you never think it's real or going to come your way."
McCoy previously opposed cellphones in schools but has reconsidered after this incident.
"I didn't want them in the school. I felt like it takes away from their learning," he said. "After this, I think we need to start thinking differently."
He called on the school to bring parents and teachers together to develop a better plan.
As a parent, he says it was imperative for him to speak for students who haven't had a voice in this situation.
"Let's get together inside the school and get all the parents and teachers and come up with a better plan that's going to be a little bit better for the parents," McCoy said.
McCoy also said parents of students who bring guns to school need to be held accountable.
"Until we start holding the parents accountable as well, you're going to continue to have this happen," he said.
Moving forward, McCoy said he hopes that if any students see something, they say something.
Martin and McCoy also want the school's backpack policy enforced. They stressed that no one can fully understand the experience until they are in it.
"I don't want any parent to get a text message like I did. And thank goodness nothing happened," McCoy said. "But until you get that text message, you cannot sit there and tell somebody how they should have handled it or how they should think about it or anything like that."
Local pastor and parent Orlando Rivera and his wife gathered outside the high school Monday to pray for protection.
They plan to return at 7:25 a.m. Wednesday to do the same.
KSHB 41's Rachel Henderson reached out to the district to request an interview beyond the statement and has not heard back.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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