CMS launches social media campaign in fight against guns in schools

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools launched a social media campaign Thursday as part of its strategy to keep weapons out of schools.

The Guns Can’t campaign aims to involve students and the community in creating inspirational posters, to be shared on social platforms, that will boost awareness of the effort to keep schools gun-free.

“Guns Can’t is based on a simple idea — gun violence in schools stands in the way of students who can make the most of their talents, skills and abilities in safe schools,” chief communications officer Tracy Russ told reporters.

The district displayed sample posters saying “Guns Can’t THINK But I Can” and “Guns can’t SING But I Can.” The Guns Can’t site has a generator to help students upload wording and images to create their own posters.

Nine guns have been found this academic year inside CMS schools, the district says. Guns found on CMS students dropped by half last year, N.C. Department of Public Instruction data show, from 19 in 2016-17 to nine in 2017-18.

A Butler High School student, Bobby McKeithen, 16, was shot and killed in a school hallway last Oct. 29. Jatwan Craig Cuffie, also 16, was charged with second-degree murder. The shooting followed a fight three days earlier.

After the shooting, CMS began random screenings for guns in January. Since then, screenings have been conducted in some classrooms at 14 schools, selected by random drawings, with no weapons found. Superintendent Clayton Wilcox has called the screenings a “deterrent” to guns being brought on campus.

Other security efforts include enhanced video surveillance, more fencing, better entrance screening, new “panic alarm cards” and beefed-up staffing, such as counselors and psychologists, to handle students’ social and emotional challenges.