‘Cry for help.’ Teachers, parents & students sound alarm on safety in Charlotte schools
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Guns found in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
In the first few months of the 2021-22 school year, CMS has set a concerning new record for guns being brought to campuses.
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Christian Loidl is a parent of a senior in high school and middle school student going into high school next year. His goal: make sure his teens are not worried about their safety “even for one moment.”
On Dec. 10, Loidl started a Facebook page called CMS School Safety. It’s a place for parents and community members to brainstorm about what they can do to help alleviate the problem of guns and violence infiltrating Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. It’s also a place where they can voice concerns about student safety and how district administrators and elected board members respond.
“(It’s) really to pull the parents and students together to have a voice and not just be told what’s going to happen,” Loidl told the Observer this week. “CMS is spending $441,000 on clear backpacks with no clear plan — pardon the pun — to implement them, not having community buy in.”
Parents like Loidl and Brian Weiss, a retired New Orleans police commander, are taking the opportunity to push for change because “inaction is not an option,” Loidl said.
Multiple parents, community leaders and students spoke on the recent spate of violence and guns on CMS campuses to school board members Tuesday and told Superintendent Earnest Winston and board members to “do something.”
“Students are afraid to be in a learning environment and having to look over their backs every second,” Malachi Thompson, a student at West Charlotte High School, told the board. “Students aren’t coming to school. Faculty and staff are afraid to come to work because they feel unsafe. We have major work to do.
“I’m ready to work. Are you?”
The latest incident of campus violence involved two students in a fight over a book bag at West Charlotte High on Monday. A gun was fired, a juvenile was charged with possession of a firearm on school grounds, police said, and students attended class remotely Tuesday. Since school began in late August, 23 guns have been found on district campuses — the highest number over a 10-year period.
“I’m a mom above all, and with every fight in a school, every gun that is brought to a school, I grow increasingly concerned and angry, just like all of you,” school board chair Elyse Dashew said. “I know I can’t solve the problem of youth violence alone. Please know I will push for every possible solution. ... I know you all will hold me accountable. I hope you’re holding yourselves accountable as a community.”
Many board members echoed Dashew, saying the community needs to partner with the district to find solutions to violence and guns in schools.
Thelma Byers-Bailey said: “We, as a community, have to wrap our arms around these schools, around these students.”
But Weiss, speaking during the public comment portion of the meeting, made suggestions that included starting a mentorship program and talking to students about careers.
“Make these kids feel and know what they can do in the future,” Weiss said.
Other suggestions came from teacher Ayanna Perry, who works at West Charlotte High. Perry said the district needs to hire more social workers and psychologists.
“It makes no sense to have two social workers for 1,600 students,” Perry said. “Our kids are dealing with trauma, and we need to make sure our schools are equipped to help them. I’m pushing for this board to do something. As the West Charlotte motto says: ‘No excuses.’ So do better before someone has to bury their child.”
Students ‘crying out for help’
Kenneth Trump, the president of National School Safety and Security Services based out of Ohio, told the Observer on Tuesday that the first and best line of defense is a well-trained, highly-alert school staff and student body.
“The number one way school and safety officials find out about weapons, threats, and violence plots is when students come forward and tell a trusting adult, and that adult knows what to do once they are given the information,” he said.
Winston said the district’s school safety task force is “moving along”, and he’s expecting to receive recommendations this week. He said he’s working with various partners, including the Mecklenburg County PTA, district attorney, district court judges and leadership both at the city and county level to address issues.
“Our students are products of adults,” Breana Fowler, the student advisor to the board, said. “This is a cry for help. Our students are suffering right now. And clear backpacks and metal detectors ... are a band-aid for those students crying out for help. We need more proactive measures.”
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 11:33 AM.
