With weapons, marijuana and stolen credit cards found Wednesday on students at two local middle schools, it's a safe bet that parents are worried, one school board member said.
"Parents are going to be concerned," said Jeffrey Wilson, a member of the Hamilton County Board of Education. "They want to make sure their kids are safe."
One of the schools, Dalewood Middle, is in Mr. Wilson's District 5. It was on lockdown from 7:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. Orchard Knob Middle, which is in District 6, was locked down from 9:30 a.m. until noon.
"Basically it's for everyone's safety," said Danielle Clark, schools spokeswoman. "It also allows principals to go through and methodically search the building."
Air-pellet guns and marijuana were found during searches at both schools, and an Orchard Knob student was found with stolen credit cards.
Mr. Wilson recently has spoken with parents worried about their children's safety at school. Two weeks ago, he and others in District 5 began meeting about safety concerns at Brainerd High School, where students from Dalewood go in ninth grade.
In the first meeting, participants talked about feeder schools such as Dalewood and how to work on problems that move from one school to the next, he said.
Most Orchard Knob students move up to Howard School of Academics and Technology, although some go to Brainerd High.
Orchard Knob and Dalewood are two of three schools some board members called "out of control" in a Jan. 21 meeting. Board members hired Reuben Justice, a retired Orchard Knob principal, to mentor principals at the schools.
Mr. Justice on Wednesday deferred comments to Ms. Clark. She said he was hired to provide expertise to principals in areas ranging from behavior to security and professional advice.
LOCKDOWN RESULTSOrchard Knob Middle School* One 12-year-old boy, two 13-year-old boys and one 14-year-old boy were charged with possession of marijuana for resale.* A 13-year-old boy was found with a pellet pistol and was charged with bringing a weapon to school.Dalewood Middle School* A 12-year-old boy was found with a pellet gun. He was cited for bringing a weapon on school property and released to his mother.* An 11-year-old boy was found with marijuana. He was cited by police for drug possession and released to his parents.* A 14-year-old boy was found with four stolen credit cards. He was taken to the Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Center and charged with theft under $500.Source: Chattanooga Police, Hamilton County Sheriff's Office
"I think one thing to note -- just because these two campuses had guns and drugs on them in the same day doesn't mean they're out of control," Ms. Clark said.
Drugs and weapons can turn up in all types of schools and communities, she said.
"We don't manifest these things; we don't create them; we just have to deal with them," Ms. Clark said.
On Wednesday, an assistant principal at Orchard Knob overheard a conversation between students regarding a gun, said sheriff's spokeswoman Janice Atkinson. The school offiicial called the school resource officer, who found the pellet pistol on a 13-year-old boy,
There is no resource officer assigned to Dalewood.
"These types of procedures show that what we are doing is working," Ms. Clark said. "At Dalewood, we had students report it. That's great."