KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Dr. Anna Stubblefield, superintendent of Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools, addressed numerous reports of guns, drugs and threats involving students at Wyandotte High School this school year.
Stubblefield spoke with reporters after a former district employee leaked information about the issues.
According to the district, in one incident from last September, a student was arrested on high school property in possession of a loaded gun and fentanyl.
In another situation from last November, a student was arrested for possession of 15 fentanyl pills.
“Students are young people; they make decisions. Sometimes they’re not always the best decisions and as educators, our first and foremost priority is to keep them safe and then to educate them around the decisions they make," Stubblefield said. "We hold them accountable, but we also want them to grow and learn and make different decisions in the future.”
The superintendent said there were 10 incidents this school year.
KCKPD said their officers responded to the high school five times. Stubblefield said the issues are not unique to the school or district.
"When you have a concentration of poverty in an urban district, you deal with different things, so we’re dealing with things that are in our community," she said. "So, if people really want to know what they can do — we have tons of openings, we have kids who need mentors."
Lee Alexander's two grandchildren attend Wyandotte High School. He said he hasn't been concerned about safety.
“It about as safe as the rest of them," Alexander said. "They haven’t had too much problem as far as I know.”
The superintendent explained to reporters that safety protocols have been put in place to prevent a gun getting inside the school.
She cited safety concerns as a reason for not getting into more detail on what the updated plans look like.
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