Parents in Maplewood, NJ to hold meeting to discuss school gun incidents

MAPLEWOOD, N.J. (WABC) -- Parents in one New Jersey town will come together to put a stop to some potentially dangerous incidents.

Two students in Maplewood were caught with guns in school on back to back days, one at Maplewood Middle School and the other at Columbia High School.

No one was hurt and both students were arrested.

The district is holding a town hall meeting Monday night at the middle school on school safety, ways to protect our children from guns and other threats of violence, and supporting students in times of crisis.

Just before 3 p.m. Thursday, Maplewood police officers responded to Columbia High School for a report of a student armed with a handgun.

The school was placed in a shelter in place status until a determination was made that it was safe to resume normal operation.

An air soft gun and a kitchen-style knife were subsequently recovered from a 15-year-old ninth grader, who was taken into custody as a result of the incident.

On Wednesday, a student was taken into custody after he was caught with a gun at Maplewood Middle School, prompting parents to call for the school to hold an assembly to release more information.

The school was placed in a code red status around noon, and Maplewood police and other law enforcement responded and searched the school.

Police said no threat was made, and the school returned to normal after the seventh-grade boy was taken into custody for possession of a handgun.

A petition signed by nearly 200 parents calle for an immediate assembly to tell students and parents more about the incident.