NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville school parents are feeling uneasy after two students were caught with loaded guns on campus.
Both incidents occurred Wednesday — one at Hunters Lane High School and the other at Haynes Middle school, where one shot was fired outside by a 13-year-old.
Talia Monget runs the AnTwand Covington Jr. Foundation in honor of her late son. She has been feeling uneasy about guns being brought inside Metro Nashville Public Schools.
“I’ve lost a son to gun violence. I also have a grandson in MNPS schools. I have stepkids in MNPS school," Monget said.
She's concerned about those recent incidents at Hunters Lane High School and Haynes Middle School. Police said the incident at the middle school was over a fight that happened a week prior.
"You had beef the week before and you carried it over, so that tells you our kids are carrying things on with them from week to week. We don’t know what’s going on, and that's an issue," Monget said.
Monget thinks more needs to be done to address the problem.
"We have a problem with guns coming into MNPS schools. I haven’t heard any leadership talk about that as an issue and what we do going forward to fix that issue."
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell said he had encouraged the use of both technology and relationships to keep schools safe. provided the following statement about guns falling into the hands of young people and being brought onto MNPS campuses.
"Good relationships with teachers, other students, and family members often aid in the discovery of guns that might have come into a school," O'Connell said. "The problem we face is not only keeping guns out of schools, but keeping guns away from kids. We are actively engaged in encouraging safe gun storage to keep guns out of kids’ hands and out of the hands of criminals. Gun thefts from cars continue to be a problem that is avoidable if responsible gun owners commit to secure storage."
O'Connell pointed to the Be Smart campaign that reminds gun owners to secure firearms out of the reach of kids.
"Those actions include secure storage, modeling responsible behavior around guns, asking about unsecured guns in other homes, recognizing the role of guns in suicide, and telling your peers to ‘be smart,’" O'Connell said. "I would encourage any Nashvillian interested in helping us further the message about safe storage to remind their friends and family to do their part."
Monget thinks the community working together will keep guns out of schools and she's hopeful for a solution.
"We're not calling anyone out. We’re not saying they’re not doing their jobs, but what are we doing collectively to help the situation?" Monget said.
Our questions to Metro Nashville Public Schools
In light of what happened on Wednesday, NewsChannel 5 asked some questions that we wanted to know along with some parents.
NC5: What could be done to prevent weapons and if there were metal detectors?
"We generally do not have stationary metal detectors at our schools, though they do have access to wands when needed. Research indicates that entry-way metal detectors are not an effective deterrent for weapons during normal school operations. The district does have a security department who responds to requests from schools to conduct random or targeted searches in the event of a specific concern or threat.
One of the strongest preventative measures is students having a positive relationship and communications channels with parents and administrators. In many cases, guns are discovered as a result of students or families contacting school officials to alert them of the potential of a weapon on campus. In the vast majority of cases where guns have been discovered, there was no intent by the student to use the weapon at school.
The district and each school updates safety and security plans on an annual basis in coordination with the Metro Nashville Police Department to review best practices and find ways to enhance school safety.
We have communicated to all families the importance of gun safety in the home to keep guns away from children. Responsible firearm ownership is an important component of school safety: https://www.mnps.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=32970327&pageId=36436722#firearms [mnps.org]
More information on the steps taken to keep students safe at school can be found here: https://www.mnps.org/news/archived_news/enhancing_school_safety [mnps.org]
When there is an incident like a gun found on campus are all Metro School parents notified or just parents who have children at the location of the incident?
The school in which the gun was found notifies their parents/families when an incident occurs. There is not a district-wide notification.
For after-school events like football and basketball games. What security measures are in place to prevent guns from being brought in?
There is a district expectation that schools use district-provided wands or metal detectors at athletic events, similar to non-school sporting events, as athletic events are generally open to the public.
