Parents push for security overhaul at Machias Elementary after gun incident

A group of approximately 20 parents and students gathered outside the Snohomish School District Resource and Service Center Friday in protest of an incident involving a Machias Elementary student carrying a training weapon, and how the district handled it.

This protest stemmed from multiple parents voicing concern over the district’s handling of the situation during a school board meeting Wednesday.

Student brings training gun to bus stop

On March 26, a student allegedly showed a police-issued, inert training gun to two other students at a bus stop, according to The Everett Herald. Multiple parents reported the incident to the school district after learning about it from their children. Many parents felt the school district downplayed the situation and failed to properly communicate with them.

“Does a shooting have to happen before they take it seriously?” one parent asked Friday, according to The Everett Herald.

The Snohomish School District sent emails to families in three separate incidents—March 26, March 28, and April 11—discussing the incident, which occurred off-campus. Machias Elementary School Principal Sam Hanson stated privacy laws limited what information was allowed to be shared. The training weapon also did not meet the legal definition of a firearm.

The student with the training gun was suspended from school.

In response, around 117 students were absent from school the day after the incident. Parents have called for more security protocols on campus, including a school resource officer to be assigned to the campus. The district is mulling multiple options to increase security, including backpack restrictions, daily bag checks, and enforced drop-offs and pick-ups by parents or guardians, according to The Everett Herald.

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