Mesquite Students Disciplined After Not Reporting That Another Student Had A Gun On Campus

Several students were suspended regarding their reactions after learning that a classmate had come to school with a gun. Now, some parents at Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy, in Mesquite, have displayed backlash.

Three students received disciplinary action for not disclosing that their classmate brought a gun on campus.

On February 19, an assistant principal at the charter school called authorities in relation to a student who was held up in her office with a gun.

Officers attempted to talk to the student prior to shooting at him when he held up his arms with the gun in his hand.

The teen was apprehended with minor injuries.

9th grader Gabriela Rodriguez says when she arrived to class 20 minutes late, a boy moved close to her. She says he went into his backpack and showed her a gun. He said that he was going to target only his English teacher.

Rodriguez says that she was in shock and didn’t think the firearm was real.

When the bell rang, she transitioned to her next class, not telling any adults.

Rodriguez says that she really didn’t want to tell anyone out of fear that the student might retaliate against her or harm someone else instead.

Rodriguez’s mother says that she has taught her children to report such incidences, but her child shouldn’t be punished for her actions under stress. She added that the students have already been through enough.

“That’s putting a lot on a child who just saw a kid with a gun in a classroom. She’s still growing, and her mentality is not fully developed,” the mother said.

Now, many parents are standing behind the suspended students and their families. They have said that it was the school that failed them. Students say that they nor staff were ever taught what to do in cases of such emergencies.