North Carolina State Superintendent Mark Johnson was in Union County Friday to talk about school safety, a day after three students were charged for having weapons at school.
In the past week, five guns were found at Charlotte-area schools.
[ Story: Three 12-year-olds charged with having guns at Union County middle school ]
In the most recent case, Isaac Hollar, a 17-year-old Iredell County student was arrested Friday when police said he came to school under the influence of an impairing substance.
[ Police ID student who brought loaded handgun to West Charlotte HS ]
Officials then searched Hollar’s car and found a gun.
"We have got to do something about school safety,” Johnson said.
Johnson is touring various schools during the newly declared “School Safety Month.”
The three 12-year-olds are facing felony charges after detectives say one of them brought two loaded handguns to school.
Police say there’s no evidence the student intended to use the weapons, and thanks to an alert from other students, the weapons were quickly removed from campus.
According to a Union County sheriff, two of the students involved in this case are currently in a juvenile detention center awaiting court hearings.
"We need to look into why was that student carrying that firearm, how did the students get access to that firearm, what led to that decision to bring that firearm to school,” Johnson said."
Earlier this week, Rock Hill police found a loaded gun in the bookbag of an 18-year-old student at Northwestern High School.
Last week, police arrested a student at West Charlotte High School who brought a loaded pistol on campus.
Johnson said the state is spending money to put more officers in schools, increase access to mental health services and will be directly reaching out to families about what they can do.
“It’s gonna take schools, it’s gonna take leaders, it’s gonna take law enforcement and mental health professionals, but it’s also gonna take parents and students themselves,” Johnson said.
Channel 9 asked Johnson what he would tell parents and students who are scared following this week’s incident.
Johnson says we need to get to the root of how and why the gun made it into the school, which is part of his new push for safety in schools.
He says the state is working on bringing parents into this conversation and getting more school resources officers and mental health professionals in schools.
The state is also setting up an anonymous tip line to report school threats.
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