CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Chesterfield parents and teachers are calling on the county school board to make schools safer just one week after a Meadowbrook High School student was stabbed on school property.
At the Tuesday evening school board meeting, parents and teachers shared how the incident has impacted their children and students.
WATCH: 3 students charged in Meadowbrook High School stabbing
"Her anxiety is not around math tests or grades," one parent said about her child. "It is school safety and the fear something might happen at school. Every day it is tears to get her to leave home to go to school."
“The lack of care for school safety has been continuous pushback for the sake of protecting the school experience for too long," a teacher said.
“Why are we not checking every backpack for weapons why do we prioritize playgrounds and technology over our students?" a parent asked. "If we don’t have a secure environment we have nothing else."
Those who spoke questioned why the county did not already have weapons or metal detectors in place like other large school districts across Central Virginia.
Chesterfield County Public Schools, the largest Central Virginia school district serving roughly 64,000 students, does not currently employ metal detectors, weapons detection systems, or a clear backpack policy in any of its schools.
The school's safety director gave a district-wide safety update to the board Tuesday afternoon.
He said the district has been focusing on finishing installing vestibules at all schools, adding cameras, and hiring additional school security officers.
The district is currently evaluating the cost and effectiveness of weapons detectors, a move that began in September when the interim superintendent told the board they were visiting neighboring school districts to evaluate current safety practices.
At the meeting, each school board member read a prepared statement addressing parent and faculty concerns.
They said they are proud of how the Meadowbrook community responded to the stabbing incident and are reviewing all options to improve safety.
“Safety is a top priority and always top of mind for our school board and school division," a board member said.
Members said they are encouraging any teachers, students, and staff to continue to reach out to them with concerns. They said they are listening and continue to review all feedback and ideas when it comes to improving safety on an ongoing basis.
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