KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. James Lowe contacted the KSHB 41 newsdesk to share his concerns and Ryan was put in contact with him on the way to Osawatomie. Ryan is dedicated to sharing stories you care about, surrounding real world topics impacting you. Please reach out to share your story. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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Following back-to-back weapon threats at Trojan Elementary School in rural Osawatomie, Kansas, parents are asking for greater transparency from the school district.
On Monday, USD 367 put out a notice to families that school administration was made aware of a potential weapon on Trojan Elementary property. The district stated that the administrators and police searched the property and no weapon was found.
The district put out another notice to families on Tuesday with a similar message, that a handwritten message referenced a potential weapon on school property.
Police and administrators report they conducted a thorough search of the property, including desks and lockers. No weapons were found at the school.
Superintendent Greg Clark told KSHB 41 they found a note both days that stated, "I have a gun."
Police and school district administrators don't believe there is an active threat from the notes.
Parents in the district have some questions and concerns about both incidents.
"We live in a time where these things happen frequently. We can’t take any threat as though it’s not serious," said James Lowe, a parent of a student at Swenson Early Childhood Education Center. "These are both in the same building, the only thing separating them is walls and couple of doors, so it’s the same building. They need to be letting parents know when there is a safety concern immediately."
Lowe is critical of the the delay in the school district's reporting to parents and the details pertaining to the incident.
"The only way we saw was on Facebook," he said. "My biggest concern is out of all of this is that parents weren’t notified, they weren’t notified in a timely fashion when it came to the elementary school, and with Swenson nobody was notified."
KSHB 41 Miami County reporter Ryan Gamboa talked to Superintendent Greg Clark on the phone Tuesday afternoon.
Clark explained that the district takes advice from police on how to handle the situation and pair that with its student handbook and district policies.
"As a district and school staff, we must be vigilant and take school threats seriously," Clark explained. "That's why we can't get info out as quick as parents like because it's an active investigation."
Lowe says he wishes the district notified them as soon as the situation began. He understands the district may have limitations and concerns about parents responses to come pick up their kids, but he still wants to know immediately when something like this happens.
"I feel like the minute they know something, us as parents should know something," he said.
Lowe isn't the only parent on edge over this incident. Crystal Hall is also seeking answers as she debates letting her daughter attend class on Wednesday.
"When I see these, it just makes me on edge," she said.
Other parents took to social media to express their concerns as well.
Erika Mailand, a parent of a kindergarten student and a second-grade student, also expressed her concerns.
"My initial reaction is worry and frustration," she wrote Gamboa in a Facebook message. "They told us the issue was resolved the first day."
Superintendent Clark explained the district believes each incident is unconnected to each other.
Clark said no student or any other person has been connected to the threat and the threat is still being investigated.
In Tuesday's threat, a student has been identified in connection to the note.
Mailand and Hall both said all they knew about the situation was what was in the original notice. It did not mention the writing found on the paper and if a student was identified for writing the note.
"I feel very left in the dark," Mailand wrote. "My kids will not be going to school tomorrow, due to the fact, I feel this not being treated as it should."
Lowe also shared that his son will not attend class on Monday and possibly the next day.
"There’s a kid saying they have a gun at school, how is that okay?" Lowe questioned. "Seeing all the stories of mass shootings and stuff like that, they call and threaten the school a couple times before they do it. If that’s the case I want my son out of there for a couple days, especially if they’re not going to notify me there’s a threat."
Gamboa reached out to the Osawatomie Police Department for an interview and was told the Chief was out of the office. He followed up with an email asking for more details and an interview and has not received response. Gamboa also contacted the city of Osawatomie to see if they could put him in touch with a department spokesperson — he was told they would reach out, but never heard back from police.
Superintendent Clark told KSHB 41 the district is taking steps necessary to make sure students are safe. It's their number one priority.
In response to back-to-back school threats, the district will have a heightened police presence around the school on Wednesday and staff will be extra vigilant while monitoring hallways.
Crystal Hall explained she's fed up with school operation's to the point, her family is considering moving to another district. Her grievances, she says, are related to other communications issues with the district in the past.
"We’re backed into a wall, so we have no other choice but to pull out," she said with tears in her eyes. "I only have one kid. I can only mess up one time."
Gamboa and Photojournalist Jake Weller were in Osawtomie on Tuesday night and there was an event at the high school.
The two observed a police cruiser parked near the front entrance of an open door to the high school.
It's unclear if the police cruiser was at the high school in response to the threats.
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