Security cloud floats over DISD as unanswered questions rise
DALLAS – Thousands of students from the Dallas Independent School District are looking at the system's administrative towers for answers about a shooting where a gun made it into a school with safeguards against weapons.
So far, that has not happened. Caren Rodriguez, who heads DISD's Strategic Media Relations and Crisis Communication team, said the district had nothing to report.
Rodriguez said the district's investigation is still active, and administrators are working with students at Wilmer-Hutchins High School, where a shooting happened on Friday.
According to school officials, the victim was shot in the leg. Police arrested the 17-year-old accused gunman on a weapons and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge.
"We know a gun got in the school. We know a kid was shot," Maxie Johnson said. "We know a teacher saved many lives. Those are the facts."
Johnson hosted a town hall discussion on Tuesday night about gun violence. However, parents, students, graduates, and the community did not walk away with a resolution; they only had a chance to vent frustration and fear.
DISD officials recorded concerns and offered no comment. CBS NEWS TX recorded Wee questions, too.
We asked Rodriguez if all the metal detectors at Wilmer-Hutch were working. She replied the investigation is ongoing.
Retiree Anthony Peterson said that when he was a bus driver for DISD, he found a connection between school violence and bus rides. He said buses are unprotected.
"We would find bullets on the busses. We find magazines on....we find all of this on these busses," Peterson said.
With two grandchildren still in DISD, he wanted to know how many guns the system has confiscated since school started.
According to Rodriguez, the district has that information, but it would take more than the time allotted in CBS NEWS Texas' deadline to provide.
"Why are we supposed to feel safe at school when all of this is happening," Margarita Hernandez asked.
She attends L.G. Pinkston High School, where the student alleges that backpack searches are not thorough. Wilmer-Hutchins students and parents have said the same of their school.
Rodriguez said the system is always looking for more secure measures, but with the ongoing probe, her comments are limited.
She said the system provides clear backpacks for students who don't meet policy as they enter their buildings.