FOX VALLEY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — On back-to-back days guns were brought to schools in Winnebago County, leaving many parents concerned for their own child’s safety.
A student at Webster Stanley Middle School in Oshkosh, and another at Neenah High School are now in custody after bringing firearms to school.
No one was injured, but many are still worried.
Lindsey Hayes is a mother of a seventh grade student at Webster Stanley Middle School.
“My son is 13, you’d never think a 13 year old would feel the need to do something like that,” said Hayes.
After an eighth grade student brought a gun to school Monday, her child hasn’t been back since.
“Because the only question I want answered, I want to know why my son is safer to go there today than he was on Monday,” said Hayes.
On Tuesday, a gun and ammunition were found in a student’s backpack at Neenah High School.
“Here in the Valley it’s not common, so to have two back-to-back in such a relatively short period of time,” said Aaron Zemlock, department chair of asset protection at Fox Valley Technical College. “I guess is shocking probably to the public and certainly is concerning to anyone that hears that.”
Zemlock was also a school resource officer for ten years.
He says bringing a weapon to school can come with hefty charges.
“Anytime you have a student, you’re talking possession of a handgun under the age of 21, so there’s that issue,” said Zemlock. “Possession of a weapon on school property and if there’s anything that would indicate a plan, or to use it, additional charges could be added on.”
He adds parents can be charged as well.
“There’s situations where obviously it’s a parental responsibility to make sure that if there’s weapons in the home, they’re secured,” said Zemlock.
Names will be withheld since the suspects are minors.
“It’s my job to keep him safe at home, so until you can guarantee me that you’re going to keep him equally as safe at school, I’m going to keep him at home,” said Hayes.
