Granbury High School Students & Parents Concerned About Threat
GRANBURY (CBSDFW.COM) - Several Granbury High School students say they plan to stay home from school on Monday, fearing for their safety, after a threat was made at their school last week.
Parents were notified of the threat last week by the Granbury Independent School District. The school district plans to investigate.
"The threat was that someone was going 'shoot up' the school," said Adrianna Booth, a senior at Granbury High School, who plans to stay home. "I was petrified. I don't take this lightly at all."
On Sunday, dozens of parents gathered in front of the Granbury ISD building to discuss their concerns.
"I think now it has just hit home for all of us with the tragedies that happened in Connecticut on Friday," said Kelby Hubbard, a father of three teenage boys who attend Granbury High School.
Parents said during the school district meeting on Monday's they plan to ask for more security at schools, whether it be private security or local law enforcement officers.
Hubbard said metal detectors should be installed at schools and some parents even suggested backpacks should be banned.
Granbury School Board member Mickey Shearon organized a prayer walk for Sunday afternoon. He asked participants to walk around each school and pray for the safety of students and staff.
"We can buy all the metal detectors. We can buy all the security that we want and put it in our schools but I believe in my heart that if we don't beseech the Lord and ask for his protection, we are still going to come up short," he said.
But parents say no matter what the district plans to do, they are instilling in their children to look out for themselves in case of an emergency.
"We've already had conversations that you've got stay focused but you've also got to be aware of your surroundings," Hubbard said. "If something does happen, get out of the school at all costs."
Granbury Police Chief Mitch Galvan confirmed there will be more officers in schools this week, as a precautionary measure.
Last week, the district sent this statement to parents:
"In conjunction with the Granbury Police Department, Granbury ISD superintendent Dr. James Largent made the following statement regarding security at Granbury High School:
Granbury school officials have become aware of a rumor regarding an alleged threat to the security at Granbury High School.
In cooperation with the Granbury police department, we are actively investigating this matter.
All next week, we will have extra law enforcement officers at the high school campus to provide extra security for our students and staff.
Although these rumors may not be confirmed, we take seriously any threat against our schools - whether it is real or a prank. We also continue to encourage students to report suspicious behavior and rumors to the police department or district staff, and we will investigate each report that we receive.
We understand that rumors such as this causes a high level of anxiety and speculation as to the truth – especially given the tragic events in Connecticut on Friday. Please know that the highest priority of Granbury ISD is the safety and security of our students and staff.
I know that this information may not answer all of your questions, but we have a responsibility to report facts and not to extend rumors.
Like you, many of our district and campus staff have children in our local schools, and we all expect a safe and secure environment. We take very seriously the charge we've been given to protect our students and staff, and we will continue to monitor this situation closely."
For students like Booth, school work will be the last thing on her mind, unless her safety concerns are addressed.
The Granbury ISD school board meets on Monday at 5 p.m.
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