SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — On Thursday morning, some parents in Shaker Heights were concerned watching their students lined up waiting to get inside the high school for the day.
Shaker Heights City Schools tells News 5 that after an incident with a student who had a knife outside the building just before dismissal Wednesday —and after that incident, a separate threat reported— security was enhanced on Thursday morning.
Students had their bags searched, and school security officers used wands to ensure that nothing unsafe or illegal made its way inside the school.
Parents sent News 5 pictures of students in long lines while that checking process played out. The school district asking students to skip bringing a book bag to speed up the process.
The district sent a letter out Wednesday evening explaining the new changes and acknowledging it might take longer for students to get into the building under the new procedures.
The knife incident and threat comes after a gun was found at a home football game.
Euclid Police took to Facebook to thank a brave and observant student who approached Euclid Community Resource Officers about the gun.
Euclid Police said the teen, who was not a Euclid student, was quickly found by Shaker Heights Police and the
gun was taken.
On Thursday evening, the district sent another letter to parents and information to News 5. The district said it realizes the screening process has to move faster:
To that end, we are exploring ways to speed up this process, but not at the expense of ensuring no weapons can enter our building. For example, we are increasing the number of entry points into the building to allow more students to be screened simultaneously. While these protocols are intended to temporarily assist with safety, we are also exploring the use of enhanced technology that would screen students in a more efficient, less intrusive process. In the interim, we will continue to adjust our security protocols to ensure that students can enter the High School in a safe and timely manner.
Students should expect to be screened tomorrow. We recommend that you arrive at school early and, if possible, do not bring backpacks or other bags to school.
