JAMES CITY COUNTY, Va. — Last Friday, Dan Clark's phone was blowing up while he was at work.
The reason: Williamsburg-James City County Schools was contacting him because a student brought a gun and ammo to Warhill High School. Clark's daughter is a junior there.
"I called my wife like six times. At one point, I just told my wife to go pick her up," he said.
Deputies arrested senior Da'Quan Williams and charged him with two felonies.
"Both of us were thinking 'Was this kid upset with a teacher, with an administrator? Was he upset with another student?'" Clark explained.
Clark said he and other parents he's been in touch with still have lots of questions.
He said he's spoken at the most recent school board meeting, as well as reaching out to leaders.
"My wife and I were discussing it, and we decided that something more needs to be done. Plain and simple," he said.
Clark started this petition for the school to get metal detectors and so far collected more than 100 signatures.
A Williamsburg-James City County Schools spokesperson said the schools have "...a number of safety measures in place at our schools, many of which are not shared publicly for security reasons. Some of those measures are related to technology – cameras, visitor management systems, etc.; others are based in human relationships."
"If there was a burglary or a fire, the school board would make sure that the school had funds to fix what was damaged, and this is one of those situations," Clark told 13News now.
He said it's probably unlikely the school will get the metal detectors, but he's not going to give up on upping security measures after last Friday.
"They certainly haven't heard the last from me," he said.
The school district spokesperson said the board chair told Clark they've received his feedback and it'll be reviewed by leaders as an ongoing effort to improve security.
Here's the full statement from Williamsburg-James City County Schools:
Williamsburg-James City County Schools has a number of safety measures in place at our schools, many of which are not shared publicly for security reasons. Some of those measures are related to technology – cameras, visitor management systems, etc.; others are based in human relationships. At every school, we strive to create a learning environment and school culture where students feel comfortable reporting concerns to a trusted adult in the building. Fortunately, that is what happened last week at Warhill High School. A student saw something and said something immediately to an adult.
As School Board Chair Lisa Ownby shared with Mr. Clark earlier today, school administration considers all feedback and resources provided through public comment, email and in writing by parents and the community. The information he has provided will be considered and reviewed by the board and school administrators as part of ongoing efforts to improve security.