Concerned parents speak out following gun at Cape Henlopen High School

LEWES, Del. – Wednesday, a student was found with a loaded gun at Cape Henlopen High School.

Kids and staff went back to school Thursday, business as usual. It’s a hard pill to swallow with parents who are still left with more questions than answers. “How he got in the school with that and how he got caught?, said Nathalia Ware, a concerned parent in the Cape Henlopen School District.

 The Cape Henlopen School District declined to talk about the gun found on school grounds Wednesday, but say they are working with police to better understand what occurred and how similar incidents can be prevented in the future. “The school resource officer conducted the investigation contacted the student and ultimately led to the discovery of a loaded 9 mm handgun in the student’s backpack,” said Corporal Lewis Briggs, with Delaware State Police.

Cape Henlopen High School parent Nathalia Ware received an alert from the school when it happened, but says her daughter was sitting in the classroom at the time and didn’t even know about the threat. It’s a situation Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence isn’t surprised by. “This is now the third year in a row that Guns are the leading cause of death for kids. Winter is a tricky time for kids they’re at school so sometimes you see that but in general I think the levels are spiking they’re just remaining high,” said Traci Murphy, the Executive Director of Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence.

Ware graduating two other kids through the school district believes safety guidelines have become more lax over the years. “Restrictions and rules that you have to follow, before it was way harder. It was way more imposed to the kids to have better behavior and communication between them, but now it’s loose,” Ware said.

Ware says she wants to avoid this from happening again, encouraging parents to be the bridge before another school threat. “Communication is key for parents and not be afraid to confront them with questions and how was there how is everything at school confront them and communicating with them clear communication about anything without taboo,” Ware emphasized.

The 17-year-old is being charged with both carrying a concealed firearm and possession of a firearm in a safe school zone. Fortunately, investigators say they were able to take the teen into custody peacefully and no one was injured.