Lawrence High responds to safety problems, firearms at school

Each of the three times that guns made their way to Lawrence High this year, students found those guns at home. Those incidents — twice in February and another in the fall — have pointed to the issue of the easy accessibility of weapons and the culture around guns. “We have to seriously address this as a society — parents and students should not have to worry about guns being brought...

With the safety of staff and students in mind, the Lawrence community is continuing to search for solutions after multiple weapons were discovered on campus. Since the incidents in February, the district has emphasized putting the safety of families first. On Feb. 21, Superintendent Anthony Lewis hosted a meeting at Lawrence High to hear feedback from these families. One clear issue being addressed...

Three incidents of students bringing weapons onto Lawrence High’s campus and at least two threats of violence have been investigated since the start of February, and state and school board policy dictate how administrators respond. The consequence for bringing a weapon on campus, as outlined in state statute KSA 72-6132, is a one-calendar-year expulsion from school. Though the state doesn’t...

It was a Friday night when I found out that a fellow student had brought a taser to my school. Surprisingly, more than 24 hours had passed since the event, and I hadn’t heard anything about a taser. A friend texted me with the message sent out by district communications director Julie Boyle, saying “This is the email that my mom got.” That was the first I had heard about it. More than a da...

  In wake of three incidents of weapons found at school, Superintendent Anthony Lewis hosted a community conversation Thursday night at Lawrence High School to seek solutions and include voices from Lawrence families.   Lewis’ primary goal was to not only address families directly, but to clarify the importance of keeping students and staff safe above all else. The meeting followe...

Lawrence High School worked with the USD 497 mental health team on Thursday to connect students with adults in the school, even as LHS faced continued safety concerns. Administrators confiscated a taser from a student Thursday after a staff member reported hearing it discharged, according to an email from the district Friday night. The taser came from home, and disciplinary action has been take...

Lawrence USD 497 implemented new security and support measures starting Wednesday morning in response to two gun confiscations during the past week while also investigating a new threat. A Lawrence High School student reported a SnapChat post from a Free State High School student in which they said the Free State student threatened to shoot the reporting student at LHS today, according to a statement ...

For the second time in a week and the third time in this school year, a gun was confiscated on school grounds Tuesday morning by school administrators and school resource officers. The two incidents occurred over the course of three school days. In the latest incident, a firearm was taken from a student Tuesday morning, district officials said. According to a district press release, there was no "d...

I never thought I would need to spread word to students that it is important to leave your guns at home. But in the past week, two students brought firearms to Lawrence High School. This should be a gun free zone — and not just because the law says so. But also because too many things can go wrong. We are a student body made up of 1,600 teenagers walking around, and there is immaturity and im...

This afternoon, Principal Matt Brungardt sent an email to LHS students, parents and staff informing them that a firearm was found in a students backpack. The email reports that the weapon has been confiscated by school resource officers. Multiple students reported hearing that this student might have been carrying a weapon, and a search was conducted. The student did not attempt to threaten an...