New safety protocols for Willis High School after second on-campus gun incident
WILLIS, Texas - A Willis High School student was reportedly detained on Monday after being found with a gun on campus.
School administrators are now rolling out new safety measures starting on Tuesday.
Gun found at Willis High School
What we know:
According to a letter from the school principal, administration was alerted about a student having a gun in their backpack. The backpack was found by the time the alert was given, so the school was placed on a hold for an investigation.
The administration reportedly found the gun in the backpack, and an officer on campus confiscated it. The student was then taken into custody.
The hold was extended so the investigation could continue. Officials say the hold ended before noon.
What we don't know:
Other details about Monday's incident are not available.
Previous WHS incidents
Dig deeper:
Monday's incident is the third reported at Willis High School for the fall semester.
On August 26, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office reported that they received a tip of a student bringing a gun to school. An assistant principal reportedly found the gun in a student's backpack and confiscated it.
On August 27, a student was arrested for allegedly making threats of shooting classmates. Officials said the student was charged with terroristic threat and taken to the Montogmery County Juvenile Detention Center.
New safety measures
What's next:
Due to those incidents, Willis High officials say there will be new safety measures:
- Starting on Tuesday, students will enter the school through a metal detector, and their bags will be searched. Students will have to place all items except laptops into their backpacks before entering the building.
- A K-9 that was on campus on Monday will return on Tuesday as a precaution.
- The campus plans to switch to clear backpacks in the next few weeks.
Parent, student resources
What you can do:
In addition to the new safety measures, Willis administrators are encouraging parents to use the following resources to start conversations with their children:
The Source: Willis ISD