Lamar High School student due in court for felony gun charge after being arrested at school

HOUSTON - Students at Lamar High School can expect increased security for the foreseeable future after two students were arrested for having weapons at the school, including a gun.

The two Lamar High school students were arrested and charged with felonies after a 17-year-old was found with a gun and another teen was also caught with a weapon.

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HISD says there will be "increased on campus patrols and officers wanding all students with hand-held metal detectors during morning arrival" until the district is "confident this has been resolved."

"They decided to take precautions and use metal detectors today. Most of us didn't get to class until like 11:00, 12:00. It was a really, really long line," explains Lamar High School Senior Leonardo Castillo.  

"It was a long line wrapped around the block," adds Lamar HS Freshman Ian Anderson.

"Causing us to wait two hours, missing two, three hours of school," says Lamar High Freshman Christiana Andoh.

The stepped-up security at HISD's Lamar High School comes after two students were arrested Monday on felony weapons charges.

In a statement, HISD says the district was made aware a student may try to bring a gun to school and HISD police, after a brief off-campus pursuit, caught the kid with the weapon.  

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The notice to parents goes on to say administration suspected another student may also have a weapon, who was then searched, and HISD police found and confiscated the student's weapon.

According to court records, 17-year-old Clifton Skillern is charged with being in possession of a prohibited weapon, a firearm, at Lamar High School.

"I'm trying to enjoy my senior year, and all these things other students are doing are ruining for, not only me, but other seniors. It's a nuisance," says Felix Gil.

"I still like high school overall, but it makes me sad knowing I can't experience what I want to experience without feeling unsafe," Andoh adds.

"No one wants to go to school knowing there might be danger," says Freshman McKenna Mills.

"It does scare me, because it means at any moment somebody could be having a bad day, and you could just get shot. School should be a safe place," Anderson adds.

"I'm not worried much about myself, but I'm really worried for my brother. My brother's safety is my top priority," says Castillo.

The district says it realizes checking the kids with a metal detector before school is time-consuming, but they say students' safety is top priority.