Gresham students walk out in protest after gun scare

GRESHAM, Ore. (KATU) — Dozens of students walked out of class at Gresham High School on Thursday to tell administrators they didn’t feel safe.

The strike comes a day later a heated school board meeting over safety concerns after several recent incidents, including one in which a student was arrested for having a loaded gun on campus.

For students and parents, this was the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

On Sept. 20, students and teachers said a student brought a loaded handgun to school in his waistband and that the district did not place the school on lockdown.

“Does anyone need to be shot?” said Robin Moran, a junior and co-founder of the student union at Gresham High School. “At Reynolds it took five, ten minutes for two people to die. “Isn’t three hours enough to lock down a school?”

They also claim that staff and parents were not informed of the incident until hours later and that there was no mention of a weapon, only the word “gun.”

“Tell your parents that the gun was a loaded 9mm and that it was in his waistband. It wasn’t in his backpack, it was in his waistband. He could have pulled it out at any time and shot any of you, and he was roaming the halls,” Moran said.

Some parents walked with students from Gresham High School to the district office building, where they continued to demand answers.

“The fact that some teachers were not informed that they had a child in their classroom with a loaded gun, who was visibly upset, who was angry and had no idea. It really bothers me,” said mother Amy Ward.

“All these kids shouldn’t be afraid to go to school and I shouldn’t panic every time they’re home,” another parent said.

Elizabeth Westbrook, founder of the Senior Citizens and Students Association, roused the crowd outside the district headquarters.

“September 20th could have cost lives, and that’s something your administrator still hasn’t addressed two weeks later,” she said.

Westbrook said she tried to get answers from the principal about the decisions made that day but was unable to.

“That way, she can just ignore people’s concerns, say OK, and move on to the next step. It’s ridiculous and we’re sick of it,” she said.

Westbrook’s mother, Kandie Bradley, has also tried to get answers. She said she spoke to the principal Thursday morning.

“I told her that I hope she can sleep well at night because she’s holding my child’s hands in her hands, but she didn’t really respond to that. Basically that’s not my job, I have people above me that I get, but at the same time what do you do? What are you doing?” she said.

KATU reporter Emily Girsch asked the school district for a timeline of events on Sept. 20.

They responded with this email shortly before 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Below is the message addressed to students, staff and families in the Gresham-Barlow School District.

It includes a timeline of the events of September 20th at GHS and other relevant information.

Dear Gresham-Barlow community,

In order for our students to thrive, our schools must be safe and welcoming environments in which students can learn and thrive. My top priority is the safety of our students, staff and the entire school community.

We have numerous security measures in place and are continually working to improve the security of our campuses. We regularly evaluate and strengthen our security protocols and procedures.

We need your help. When it comes to school safety, we all have a role to play. The Gresham-Barlow School District will hold a school safety town hall for students, staff and families later this month. At this meeting we will present our current safety protocols, answer your questions, and discuss how we can work together to improve safety in our schools.

School Safety Summit on October 29th

The School Safety Summit will be held on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Gordon Russell Middle School, 3625 E. Powell Valley Road, Gresham, OR 97080. Please mark your calendar.

For those unable to attend, please note that we will share the information presented at the meeting and provide an online feedback form where you can ask questions and share your thoughts.

Information about the Gresham High School incident

Recently, a Gresham High School student brought a loaded gun to school. Thanks to the quick work of the school administration and the police, a tragedy was averted. Since the incident, we have received many questions from students, staff and families. Unfortunately, incorrect information is circulating in the community. Below are specific details and a timeline of events recreated from security footage and phone records.

Your commitment to the safety of our students is invaluable. I look forward to working with you to ensure our students have a safe learning environment.

Sincerely,

James Hiu

Headmaster

GHS security incident on September 20th

On September 20, a student was arrested for bringing a loaded gun onto the Gresham High School campus. Below is a confirmed timeline of events, recreated from security footage and phone records.

Incident timeline

10:39 am

According to security footage, a community member comes to the school to report that he interacted with someone in the community. Member states that the individual may be a student and that the individual pointed a gun at him. The community member shared that the community interaction occurred 90 minutes before his arrival at school (approximately 9:00 a.m.). The community member also provided a vague description.

10:41 am

The principal called the district office

10:45 am

The principal shares information with campus monitors and the administrative team

10:51 a.m. – 11:03 a.m

Campus monitors are reviewing security footage to identify students matching the description

11:03 a.m. – 11:15 a.m

Campus monitors find a student on security footage who roughly matches the description

Investigations begin to confirm the student’s identity

11:15 a.m. – 11:19 a.m

The student is identified and the student’s location is verified

The administrative team prepares to remove the student from class

11:19 a.m

The administrative team goes to the classroom

11:21 a.m

The student goes from the classroom to the school office with the administration

11:23 a.m

Students in a safe place (school office)

School office closed to students and staff

11:30 a.m

The principal calls 9-1-1 and stays on the phone until the police arrive

11:45 a.m

Gresham police officers arrive

12:44 p.m

Message GHS staff about the incident

12:51 p.m

Message to Gresham High School families about the incident

1:21 p.m

Police leave Gresham High School with student

2:45 p.m

All employees meet to debrief the incident

Why wasn’t the school put on hold, secured or locked down?

The use of standard response protocols such as “Hold”, “Secure” or “Lock” is based on situational awareness and information about the specific situation at that time. Various factors play a role in the response, including the details of the report, the people involved, the location of the event, the time of day, etc.

The student was in a classroom with other students and staff at the time. Because of this, administration concluded that a controlled, deliberate response was necessary and strategically removed the student from the classroom.