CHARLOTTE, NC. — CMS school board member Rhonda Cheek is fed up. She’s urging the Board of Education to have a sense of urgency about the uptick in weapons and violence at schools.
Harding University High School went on lockdown Tuesday because of a fight. Police rushed to the school and later found a gun in a book bag. Two students face charges. This marks the 17th gun found on CMS campuses this year alone. There have also been numerous fights inside schools; some caught on camera by students with cell phones.
Nearly two weeks ago, Cheek took part in a town hall to discuss school violence. Superintendent Earnest Winston and other leaders talked about using clear backpacks, metal detectors, and extra campus security.
“All of those things have been brought of things they’re quote, looking into. I don’t want to look into them. I want to know when we’re going to have definitive timelines and which programs were going to initiate the fastest,” Cheek says.
Scarlett Hollingsworth is with Mom’s Demand Action. Her advice to CMS: use a community-wide approach and fund comprehensive strategies like mental health programs.
“Implementing a threat assessment program that allows us to try to intervene before that ever happens because the best way to resolve this is the prevention,” says Hollingsworth.