GREEN BAY (NBC26) — Green Bay police increased security at Preble High School on Wednesday following the arrest of a student who brought a handgun to campus Tuesday.
Hear from the Chief of Police in the video below:
Police Chief Chris Davis said the extra officers were sent to the school as a precautionary measure. As we've previously reported, a student was arrested Tuesday when two separate fights broke out in the school commons and a gun was discovered along with with ammunition in a backpack inside a locked classroom.
"We're trying to make sure whatever we do going forward and however we evolve the way we provide safety service in our schools is done in a way that recognizes the school district's mission is to educate our kids," Davis said.
The incident comes amid rising weapon-related incidents in Green Bay schools, with state data showing more than 60 such incidents during the 2023-2024 school year.
Despite the local increase, Justin Heinze, co-director of the National Center for School Safety, said schools remain mostly safe places for children nationwide. Heinze said fewer students now say they bring weapons to school compared to previous years.
"It's a very small percentage of students that talk about bringing firearms to school and oftentimes it's because of protection," Heinze said.
Investigators have not shared why or how the gun ended up at Preble High School this week.
"By the time a student has made the decision to bring a firearm to school, it's too late. We need to be thinking way upstream," Heinze said.
Henize said addressing bullying, encouraging people to speak out if they see something suspicious and monitoring school entrances are all key parts of preventing weapons from getting into schools.
Chief Davis said there is no set timeline for when the additional officers will be removed from the school and they will remain there as long as it is necessary for the investigation.
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