LAUSD to review whether all high schools are following district’s weapons-search policy
Los Angeles schools officials are launching an assessment of all high schools in the district to make sure they are following a district policy that requires staff members to conduct random weapons searches every day, incoming Supt. John Deasy announced Wednesday.
The decision comes a day after police said a student accidentally discharged a handgun in a Gardena High School classroom and wounded two students, one critically. A review by district administrators found that Gardena High was violating a 1993 L.A. Unified policy by not conducting daily random weapons searches using portable metal detector wands.
Deasy ordered Gardena High and all other high schools in the district to comply with the policy.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles police arrested two Gardena High students for allegedly aiding the classmate who brought the gun to school Tuesday.
The two students, a boy and a girl, allegedly helped the classmate hide his backpack and change his appearance. Immediately after the shooting, the boy with the gun handed his backpack to an unidentified female classmate. Police later recovered the 9-millimeter Beretta handgun in the hallway but are still seeking the backpack. Authorities said that the other accomplice, a boy, switched clothes with the suspect in an effort to help him escape.
Los Angeles police arrested the 17-year-old boy who brought the gun to class on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, but prosecutors said they have not made a formal decision to charge him with the same count. They plan to review additional police reports and could charge him with a more serious crime, such as attempted murder. It was also unclear whether he would be charged as a juvenile or as an adult.
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Gardena High School violated district's weapons-check policy, top LAUSD official says
Student who brought gun to Gardena High School won't be charged with attempted murder
-- Tony Barboza and Andrew Blankstein
EDITOR'S PICKS:
this is a joke THE SCHOOLS ARE ALL UNDERSTAFFED HELLO!!!!! REALLY!! this stuff happens all the time media just chooses not to report it. People i know for a fact at high schools just don't have the right security. What ever LAUSD A JOKE!
Posted by: jjj | January 19, 2011 at 06:01 PM
Does it still seem as though the shooter was a "nice kid?" To hand off his backback and change shirts - seems like the kid had a little experience with being in trouble if he had this kind of thought process immediately after "accidentally" blowing a hole through his classmates head.
Posted by: David | January 19, 2011 at 06:07 PM
It's not the rhetoric of right-wing politicians that cause these young people to do violence, they don't even listen to politicians Right or Left.
It's the violent images that the Left put up on their silver screens that influence these youth to bear arms and do violence.
Posted by: Steve Rodriguez | January 19, 2011 at 07:24 PM
Even when it becomes known that a child brought a weapon to school, such as a knife, it depends on the administrator handling the case ... what happens to the child. Zero tolerance is not a policy. Administrators are pressured to decrease the number of school suspensions and recommendations for expulsion to look good on paper. Rather than address real issues that come up at the school and set a hard line for students to follow, many people acquiesce in the hopes of looking good on paper, making their boss happy, and getting a nice promotion. Safety and discipline depend on the individuals in charge of the school.
Posted by: Luis Sanchez | January 19, 2011 at 11:02 PM
It's not possible to stop guns from getting on campus. All it takes is two people, one to put the gun through, over or under the fence and the other to receive it. There is nothing that can be done to stop it. There isn't enough "security" in the world to make a difference. The problem isn't the schools' fault. There is no solution, except sending your child to a private school that doesn't tolerate gang behavior, period.
Posted by: glenn grab | January 20, 2011 at 12:39 AM
jjj is absolutely right. i teach in this area and no one uses those things.
lausd just makes up policy as they go. this whole display is just damage control.
Posted by: Ariel Bonzai | January 20, 2011 at 07:22 AM
LAUSD has NEVER asked for student searches, even THOUGH TEACHERS have been urging the District to hire more school police! Anyone remember the South Gate shooting?
Posted by: johnny | January 20, 2011 at 07:55 AM
I think the high schools or any other critical school needs to come out with a Newly Improved waiver release for ALL students to Read and Sign about Violence & Guns Behavior.
Noting that the display or tragedy of crime far out-weighs the cost of money for the school, student, & staff. Any (student or staff) criminal intentions that are conducted will be handle with the highest prosecution of the law within the civil code of obedience within the state.
Along with the principal or proper authority signatures before-hand...
Posted by: Dave H. | January 23, 2011 at 06:26 PM
they do not have any metal detectors on affluent area LAUSD HS campuses--please!
Posted by: Ariel Bonzai | February 02, 2011 at 06:30 PM