Parents, students, and teachers at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, California are demanding answers and action after a student was attacked by two masked students in a classroom on February 17th.
The incident has caused outrage, not only because the attackers weren’t immediately apprehended, but also because parents weren’t informed until hours later and the school failed to initiate a lockdown.
Jennifer Indon, a parent of a student at the school, has taken action by speaking out on social media, attending public meetings, and participating in roundtable discussions on school safety.
She believes that parents, teachers, and administration must work together to find solutions to the ongoing problem of school violence.
Assistant Superintendent of Petaluma City Schools, Mateuri, agrees that community engagement is critical to finding solutions, but notes that the pandemic has impacted students in many ways, including the loss of socialization and structure.
The district plans to use the information gathered from the recent meeting with parents to implement safety measures and train staff to handle such issues.
The suspects in the attack were later taken into custody, but the incident has sparked concerns about school safety among parents and educators.