Parent raises concern after another student brings gun to Chesterfield school

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A student at L.C. Bird High School in Chesterfield was arrested on Tuesday for bringing a gun to school, the second time a student has come to school with a gun since October.

“It’s terrifying that there have been so many incidents and nothing happening,” Christina Wyatt, who has kids that go to L.C. Bird, said.

Wyatt moved to Chesterfield at the start of the school year and feels she has gotten nothing but emails about incidents at her students’ schools.

Including when a student was found to have brought a gun to the high school back in October.

“My husband and I were obviously shocked and didn’t think that this would be a common occurrence, right?” Wyatt said.

Another email was sent out on Tuesday from the school principal, letting families know a student had again brought a gun to school.

“I came right to the school,” Wyatt said. “They usually ride the bus, but I just wanted to get them because it’s just hard when you’ve brought up this concern before.”

Chesterfield Police said an officer found a gun inside the backpack of a 17-year-old student.

No one was injured, and the student was charged with bringing a gun on school property.

In the email sent out to parents, the school administration asked parents to remind students about the consequences of bringing a weapon to school.

Wyatt feels the school division could do more.

“It doesn’t seem like anybody is terribly concerned, and after so many emails telling us that there’s a gun on school property, you would have thought somebody would have done something by now,” Wyatt said.

She said she would like to see Chesterfield follow in the footsteps of Henrico Schools, who are testing metal detectors at a number of schools this month.

Currently, Chesterfield schools do not use metal detectors or wands outside of sporting events or graduation.

“Now we’re talking about probably leaving because I can’t send them to school and then worry whether or not they are going to be hurt,” Wyatt said.

Copyright 2023 WWBT. All rights reserved.