(MOBILE, Ala.) Parents are still trying to get some answers after an 8th grader at Alba Middle School in Bayou La Batre brought a loaded gun and a knife on campus Wednesday afternoon.
"I'm more shocked than anything else. I still can't hardly believe that happened," said one parent.
While some parents are still in disbelief, others are outraged.
"I didn't know until I saw it on the news," said foster parent Betty Goleman.
The fact that parents weren't notified Wednesday about the loaded gun doesn't sit well with her.
Local 15 took her concern to superintendent Martha Peek.
"Why weren't the parents notified?" Reporter Christian Jennings asked.
"When you send a call that says a gun was found and everything is OK, there are still questions. The school decided what they would do would be a parent meeting Thursday to let everyone know what happened," answered Martha Peek.
"There was no disruption in the school program. That's important. When you can keep things functioning and keep panic down and keep people thinking clearly, that's important. And that's how you handle a situation," said Peek.
"No, they need to let the parents know what's going on. Because as a parent it's our right to protect our child. And by them not letting us know what's going on they're taking that right away to be able to provide safety for that child," said Goleman.
Officials say other students tipped off school security. The handgun was found inside the 13-year-old's backpack in the boy's locker room.
Which brings up another big concern of parents.
"Why wasn't the school put under lockdown?" Jennings asked.
"There was no intrusion or imminent danger inside or outside the building. So there was no reason to put the school in lockdown.
It was taken care of in a matter of minutes," said Peek.
"That's a big concern. That should have been the first thing they should have done," said Goleman.
The teen is now suspended. Some parents feel he should be expelled.
"I don't think he needs to be back at school this school year," said Goleman.
The student told police he brought the gun to school for protection.
Goleman says she heard he brought a weapon for protection from bullies.
"There's too much bullying. When kids get bullied they're going to react," said Goleman. She says when her oldest son was at Alba, he was bullied to the state of depression. When Local 15 asked Superintendent Peek about a possible bullying problem at the school, she said, "There's not a bullying problem at the school. And that's the first I've heard of anything about bullying."
School officials say there was a meeting held at Alba Middle School Thursday morning for concerned parents.
We're still waiting to hear from Bayou La Batre police on the latest in the investigation.
