By: Mairen Brown, Eliza Peddi, and Evyn Firestone
On August 31st, the following email was sent out by the school to parents/guardians of students regarding an airsoft gun being brought into the school. No student identities were provided. The email was sent out by Mr. Hanson, North Springs High School principal, who mentioned that the gun was a Level One Threat based on the Fulton County School Code of Conduct.
In the email, Mr. Hanson requested that parents conduct random and frequent checking of their students’ backpacks to ensure school safety. The information was sent to parents directly, and later addressed in a North Springs weekly newsletter sent out by Mr. Hanson Friday afternoon.
Good afternoon North Springs Community,
This is Scott Hanson, Principal of North Springs HS with important information for Wednesday, 8/31/2022.
It is important to me as principal to communicate with you about your child’s learning and safety. Our administrative team was informed by a submitted tip that an Airsoft gun was brought into our school. Upon investigating, we discovered this was factual. Please know that the appropriate disciplinary actions were taken, and parents were notified.
I know we are living in a time where these situations are unsettling for our students, staff, and parents. Any type of toy weapon or weapon on this campus is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. This is not and will not be the norm at North Springs High School.
While I can’t share specific details about this incident due to student privacy rights, I can confirm that we consistently follow the steps outlined in the Threat Assessment Flow Chart and provide discipline as outlined in our Fulton County Schools Student Code of Conduct. This situation was thoroughly investigated and deemed a Level 1 threat based on the FCS District Threat Assessment Protocol. There are no safety concerns based on the circumstances in this situation.
Please take this time to speak with your child about not bringing any toy guns, or weapon-like objects to school. Also, please periodically check your child’s backpack for any items that are not appropriate for school.
Remind your students, if you see something or hear something, say something. You can always use our FCS Tip Line to report information anonymously at www.fultonschools.org/fcstipline.
If you have specific questions or concerns, feel free to call my office at 470-254-2490.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership with us at North Springs High School.
Sincerely,
Scott Hanson
Kevin Rogers, the Assistant Principal who handled the investigation into the Airsoft weapon, stated that the airsoft gun situation was a Level 1 threat, which he described as “the same as having the intent to beat another student up.”
Mr. Rogers also commented about on the relationships between students and teachers, as a group of students had seen the Airsoft, and reported it to the school. “See something say something. Teenagers make silly decisions. This is a place of learning; we are here to learn. We want you to feel comfortable saying it immediately. We cannot do anything if we do not know.”
More on this story as it develops.
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Oracle staffer Eliza Peddi spoke to North Springs students to get insight into how they felt, as they are the ones most affected by this matter. The incident was emotional for many, since it directly threatened their safety. When first hearing what happened, students were both shocked and upset.
Felipe Camargo Echeverría, a freshman at North Springs, said, “That’s terrible, I mean I don’t even know. It wouldn’t matter to me if it was this school or another school. That is just a terrible thing that can happen to anyone. I mean, even if you weren’t physically affected by the situation, it can take a really great mental toll on you [hearing about it].”
Sydney Smith, a senior at North Springs, agreed and added, “I definitely felt a little angry that I didn’t hear it from the school, and I found out about it when you told me. And I definitely felt like it made me feel a little unsafe that someone could just do that and that someone was stupid enough to show it off.”
Students were also upset by the source they got the news from and felt that North Springs could have done a better job of telling the community about the airsoft gun.
Sydney Smith said, “They [told the parents but] didn’t tell students at all. If something like this happens, I want to know about it.”
Ava Cominos, a freshman at North Springs, agreed and added, “I think they should’ve made the students aware of this so that they can feel safe and protected and informed. It’s good to inform people. You don’t want to be left out of it.”
Part of the reason students wanted to hear from the school itself is that they are worried for their safety, and are looking for some comfort and reassurance from administration. With mass shootings on the rise, any violent incident in school can spur on a lot of uncomfortable “what if” questions. With all these thoughts in mind, students reflected on the situations where they’ve felt unsafe at school in the past and why they feel unsafe now.
Felipe Camargo Echeverría said, “In the fifth grade we had a hard lockdown. From what I remember, it was two hours, and that was really scary for me. I didn’t know what was going on and I didn’t know the language, so I was stuck in a situation where fear was surrounding me. I didn’t have a phone, and I couldn’t communicate with my parents. I was just stuck in there…[Hearing about this] does not make me feel safe at school because it is really unpredictable to know if someone has a gun in their backpack or not, or stealing drugs, or doing anything that you’re really not meant to do.”
Sabella Davidson, a sophomore at North Springs, explained, “There are too many corridors and the school is so big. There is no way to make sure we are all safe. Coming from middle school, eighth grade was a hot mess; people were fighting every other day or even every day. And since those people are coming into a bigger school with more space and more people to beef and fight with, I don’t feel safe. …I try to make myself think it is so I can get through the day.”
Ava Cominos said, “It makes me a little more paranoid than I already am. I know that there’s danger out there, and it can always happen at any time, but it just makes me a little more uncomfortable. In eighth grade, a similar situation happened like this, and it was just a scare. It wasn’t a real thing, but still, I don’t think you should have to worry about that since it’s a school, not a prison.”
The issue of school safety has been brought to life with this airsoft gun. Students are not only worried, but also thinking if any more security measures could be put in place to avoid future problems like this.
Sabella Davidson said, “1,200 kids go to this school and we have two cops who are going to protect us…I don’t know how they could make the school safe without making it like a prison.”
Ava Cominos disagreed and said, “It depends. I think if you [the school] are willing search backpacks every morning, then yes, but I do not see our school doing that.”
This airsoft gun incident, along with these students responses to it, shows the growing issue taking over schools across the country. During these difficult times, schools are trying to figure out how to make the environment safe for students without making it feel like a prison.
