Two Killeen ISD Students Have Been Arrested for Bringing a Gun to Campus
Killeen Independent School District officials have confirmed that a firearm was confiscated from two students Tuesday morning, and the pair are in police custody.
Taina Maya, Communications Chief for Killeen ISD, forwarded to us a message to parents issued by Wanda Stidom, Principal of Live Oak Ridge Middle School.
In the message, Principal Stidom wrote that two students were arrested and taken to a local juvenile detention center for having a weapon on campus. She confirmed that the weapon was a handgun.
Thankfully, no injuries were reported, Principal Stidom said all students and staff were safe.
"These students will be charged through the Killeen ISD Police Department and will face all appropriate legal and school disciplinary consequences as a result of this incident," Stidom wrote. "We take any threat to school safety seriously. Please be absolutely assured that we work closely with police to investigate any potential threat to the safety of our students and staff, and we always deal aggressively with any such report."
Stidom stressed that Killeen ISD has a zero tolerance policy for weapons on campus.
This is the second time in less than a month that there's been a major security concern at a Killeen ISD campus.
Back on August 27, Ellison High School was briefly evacuated after a fire was reported inside a restroom. Later that day, the campus was placed on a brief lockdown due to rumors of a weapon on campus. No weapon was found after a sweep of the campus, and classes resumed.
It's great that school officials were able to resolve Tuesday's problem quickly and safely, and I commend them for that.
Having said that, I have a question for Killeen ISD parents: Are you satisfied with the safety and security protocols in the district? If not, what would you like to see done differently?