Weapons incident at Bryan High School raises concerns about school communications

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – A day after a handgun was discovered in a Bryan High School student's backpack, students and parents remain concerned – not only about the weapon itself, but also about how the incident was communicated to the school community.

While Bryan ISD officers and police acted quickly to arrest the student and prevent any potential harm, many parents said they were left in the dark until news broke through the media. Several students also expressed frustration with the lack of timely information from the school.

“It's scary knowing that I can walk into the building every day and never come out,” said Elizabeth Tejeda, a ninth-grader at Bryan High. “I found out about it through the news, not the school itself, and I was very disappointed.”

Tejeda expressed her concerns on social media, saying that her classmates were alarmed but not informed.

“Today a student was found at my school with a gun in his backpack. What's even more disturbing is that I learned about it from the news and not from the school itself,” said Tejeda. “I had a right to know what was happening in my own school.”

In a Facebook post that has since caused a stir, Tejeda's mother Cristan described her daughter's emotional reaction to the incident.

“Our daughter had the following to say in response to what happened at her school today. I am more proud than you can imagine of her eloquence and devastated that this is her reality.”

Tejeda's post expressed her fear, frustration and sadness.

“I am eternally grateful for my own safety, but my heart aches for the families affected by gun violence. No parent should send their child to school, which is supposed to be a safe place, and instead get a call that their child, their baby, is involved in a shooting,” she wrote.

She also expressed her regret at the reaction of her fellow citizens, many of whom laughed off the seriousness of the situation.

“The most disturbing thing is the indifferent reaction of my fellow students. Almost everyone laughed about it as if it were a joke. But this is our reality. We could have been victims today,” she added. “My fellow students may have been able to laugh today, but next time we may not be so lucky. Unfortunately, I am not even surprised, just shocked. Why? Because there is not a month of the year that I do not hear about a shooting, an attempted or near-attempted attack.”

Bryan police confirmed the student was arrested and charges were filed, but did not say whether the gun was loaded.

“We know that BISD responded appropriately to this situation and notified us. We responded as we train and as the plans were implemented,” said Seth Waller, spokesman for the Bryan Police Department. “The outcome was the best that could be achieved for this situation, there were no injuries, no one was hurt.”

Despite the quick response, the delay in communication has left a bitter taste in the mouths of many in the community. Some parents are also calling for more transparency.

“As a parent of a child who attends this school, more information would be nice. In my phone call, it definitely did not say it was a weapon,” said a Facebook post.

“My BHS student didn't even know about this until this was posted on KBTX. There was no curfew, not even a lockdown of the grounds… I understand not wanting to panic students, but it's also a little disturbing that students didn't know about this at all,” another post said.

Bryan ISD issued a statement late Thursday saying:

Because the investigation is ongoing, Bryan Police have not released any further details, citing the juvenile status of the student involved.

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