Gresham High School students go on strike after gun incident

GRESHAM, Ore. – A large group of Gresham High School students took to the streets in protest Thursday, marching toward district headquarters to express their concerns following a recent firearms incident on campus. Students said the incident – a 17-year-old bringing a gun into a classroom on September 20 – was just the “tip of the iceberg” and that they feared for their safety unless urgent action was taken.

“You have a voice, use it!” one student shouted as cheers erupted from the crowd.

Many students expressed frustration and fear, emphasizing that “no one should be afraid of a gun coming to school,” said a Gresham High School student who took part in the walkout.

The protest was triggered by a lack of communication from school management about the incident.

Aaliyah Leffall, a Gresham High student, emphasized the potential danger of the situation, stating, “He could have gone to that meeting and shot the entire meeting.”

Parents expressed their concerns and Amy Ward, a parent at Gresham High School, expressed her shock at the government's handling of the situation: “There were no notifications to parents that day and I was shocked. They kept it completely secret and I thought that was crazy.”

The protest followed a school board meeting Wednesday night where educators, including Mark Adamski, expressed their outrage.

“They had a known student walk through my classroom full of students with a gun, and the police had not even been called or consulted,” Adamski said.

In response to the incident, the Gresham-Barlow School District praised building management's handling of the situation but acknowledged the need for continued improvements in safety protocols. School officials said they learned of the gun threat when a community member alerted them that the student had threatened her outside of school.

The students present at the protest made it clear that they will not relent until further security measures are taken. Ionna Brown urged, “You should bring the police back because I’ve heard there were police before.” … Maybe even metal detectors if you have to.”

Student Victoria Rudomanov added a poignant comment about parents' fear: “Their parents don't want to get a call like, 'Hey, your kid just died.' 'I'm so sorry to hear that.' Something needs to change because it’s going to get worse every year.”

Students expressed a desire not only for an investigation into the incident, but also for significant changes in the current administration, insisting that those responsible should be held accountable.

In response to the incident, the Gresham-Barlow School District will host a safety summit at Gordon Russell Middle School on Tuesday, October 29th from 6 to 8 p.m.