VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — As the investigation into the January shooting at Richneck Elementary School progresses, people are calling for better security in other school divisions.
In Virginia Beach, a petition is floating around to get metal detectors inside public schools, with more than 200 signatures.
“As a mother, it’s very difficult to see fear in my son's face and still send him off to school," Doris, a Virginia Beach parent who created the petition and didn't want to give her last name, told 13News Now.
“If we can stop another mass shooting that’s my motivation," Doris said.
Doris said her motivation to create this petition also stems from the arrest of John Dupont, a teacher at Corporate Landing Middle School, where her son is a student.
Dupont was accused of threatening to shoot up the school, according to court documents.
“On the 31st, my son, who is a middle schooler, did not want to go to school," Doris said. "He came downstairs with fear on his face. We stayed home and discussed ways that we can make a change and one of the ways was a metal detector."
Officials with Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) said their security team is exploring metal detectors as an option. The school system sent 13News Now a statement explaining security measures they are taking.
These include adding armed security officers and additional security assistants at certain schools, an annual security audit at every school and the addition of an emergency manager to the school system.
A spokesperson added that the city's police department has assigned a school resource officer at every school.
"The school division never stops having this conversation," a spokesperson wrote in a statement. "Division leadership continuously evaluates ways to best support safety, security and mental health of all staff and students. It is important to emphasize the role of partnerships here with the VBPD, mental health providers and the community at large. As we know, schools are reflections of the communities they serve, which means school safety is not only the job of school personnel, but also our parents and community members."
Doris said she will present her concerns to Virginia Beach city leaders and the school board when she gets more signatures on her petition.