KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A fight at Washington High School is causing a slew of issues for parents.
A letter that went out to parents says a student brought a “Taser-like” device to school Friday and used it during a fight. The device didn’t make contact with any students, and no one was injured.
According to the KCK Public School District, the stun gun made it through the metal detectors because it was plastic.
Parents say school officials should have done something to keep the fight from occurring.
Louise Murray said her granddaughter DaRianna was the one who pulled out the stun gun. Murray said she gave it to her.
“I gave her that because she works at night and sometimes she will catch the bus home,” Murray said.
According to Murray, her granddaughter was being bullied, and there were fights with the same girls from the incident Friday on previous occasions.
Murray said she takes responsibility for her granddaughter having the stun gun.
“She had it in her bag,” Murray said. “And she said, ‘Grandma, when they told me they was gonna get me, I just took it out my bag and put it in my pocket.’”
District spokesperson David Smith said stun guns are considered a weapon. According to the code of conduct, bringing a weapon to school could lead to expulsion.
Murray’s granddaughter was suspended from school for five days. That’s the same amount of time as the other girls involved, who did not bring any weapons to the fight.
But the district hasn’t made a decision yet as to the final status of DaRianna’s enrollment. That makes Angie Tolefree frustrated. Her daughter was involved in the fight as well, and she wants to see DaRianna expelled.
“I’m pushing for that because you gotta look back to elementary. Tou have to start somewhere,” said Angie Tolefree. “It starts with sharpened pencils, butter knives, something. Now it’s up to Tasers. What are they waiting for now — the Parkland High shooting? I hope not. I’m not going to let it go that far. If you got a Taser in, take your punishment.”
Tolefee has another issue with Friday’s events. She said a staff member allegedly used excessive force on her daughter, Angelee, and said an adult body-slamming her daughter is seen in cell phone video of the fight.
“He just grabbed me out of nowhere and threw me against the wall,” Angelee said, ”and I kept saying, ‘Let me go,’ and I was pulling away from him.”
A KCKPS spokesperson said they can’t say whether or not the person seen in the video is under investigation.
“That`s supposed to be a safety zone,” Tolefree said. “So if she’s not safe there, it pushes me to do what I did — pull her out of school.”
FOX4 asked the school district to respond to the parents` claims that more needs to be done to prevent fights. A spokesperson for KCKPS said they always try to work hard to make a safe and orderly environment for students.
