District adds resource officer in response
Following two incidents at McAdams High School last week where students brought weapons to school, the Attala County School District and Board of Supervisors approved adding another school resource officer to the district at their Monday meetings.
Sheriff Tim Nail told The Star-Herald the district’s sole school resource officer (SRO) Matt Steed notified the department late last Monday afternoon about a Facebook post that included a photograph of a McAdams student holding a handgun in the school bathroom. It was reportedly posted by the student in the photograph.
Audio of interview with Sheriff Nail regarding the weapons incidents at McAdams High School.
Nail said the 15-year-old student was brought into the department for questioning with his parents and was subsequently arrested and charged with felony possession of a firearm on school property. Superintendent Kyle Hammond said rumors were spreading on the internet about a shooting threat at the school, but officials were unable to locate any threat made online. It is believed the student was simply showing off on social media.
“We could tell it was taken in the school bathroom, and when the principal talked to him, the student admitted that he took (the gun) in there,” said Hammond.
The next day, the department was notified of a second student — a 14-year-old — who posted on social media a photograph of himself holding a knife on a school bus. Hammond said he believed the post was originally made the previous Friday. This student was also brought in by the Attala County Sheriff’s Office for questioning and was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of a weapon on school property.
Nail said the school was on lockdown for the majority of the day Tuesday, and the department sent extra deputies to patrol all schools within the district. Per state law and the student handbook, both students have been expelled from the district for a calendar year.
In response to the incidents, the school district and the Attala County Board of Supervisors developed an agreement that will add a second SRO position to the district. The schools will pay 80% of the SRO salary and benefits, with the Sheriff’s Office and Board of Supervisors covering the remaining 20%, as well as providing a car, weapons, uniform, and other equipment for the position. The new SRO will work for the department, but be assigned to the school district, specifically at Long Creek Elementary and McAdams High schools. Sheriff Tim Nail will be in charge of assigning an individual to the position, and he said he already has someone in mind.
“I’ve been waiting on everything to get approved, and I do have somebody in mind. But I have not talked to him about this job offer, and that will probably come in the next two to three weeks when I get him assigned to the schools,” said Nail.
Currently, Steed serves as SRO at McAdams, Ethel, Long Creek, and Greenlee. By adding another officer, it will allow for more security throughout the district. Steed will focus on Ethel High and Greenlee Elementary once the second officer is in place to cover McAdams and Long Creek.
“One resource officer is stretched very thin with four schools being 15 miles apart. So, we are going to hire a resource officer, and he will be assigned to the McAdams school and Long Creek school,” said Nail. “I don't know exactly when that's going to take place. There’s some stuff I’ve got to do to get it all prepared, but that is coming in the very near future.”
Nail said adding the position will benefit all parties involved and allow for extra protection within the district during school hours and at extracurricular activities, and he said he appreciates the Board of Supervisors and Attala County School District for helping him make the addition.
“It's a good thing for the county and for our schools. It's also a good thing for the sheriff's office. It helps us by having two extra deputies out there,” said Nail. “Even in a scene where we need extra assistance during the day, or whenever, I can call those two officers in to help us. Also, if we’ve got a situation going on in the schools, both resource officers can team up and take care of the situation including ballgames and stuff like that.”
Nail emphasized the dangers of social media to youths and warns other young people to learn from the mistakes made by these students. He added that when he was growing up, he did not have to think about social media, but times have changed.
“Social media unfortunately plays a big effect on our youth, and I hope the youth will understand that social media posts can follow you through your entire life. What you post, when you go for a job interview or to college, that can affect you and they need to realize that,” said Nail.
Hammond said adding another school resource officer is something that has been needed for a long time, and now is the time to get it done in order to be proactive in preventing future incidents.
“We want the Sheriff’s Department to have a full staff, but we also want to keep our students, teachers, and staff safe. I appreciate the Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff’s Department for their fast response,” said Hammond.
Just last week, there was a student shooting at Newton Elementary School on Thursday, Sept. 30, when a 6-year-old student was shot in the leg in his classroom by another student. The child was airlifted to a Jackson hospital, treated, and released Sunday afternoon. The shooting was initially classified an accident by Newton County Sheriff Joedy Pennington, but the incident remains under investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the Newton Police Department. This was the second gun-related incident at Newton Elementary School this calendar year. School officials confirmed April 30 that a student had brought a gun on campus April 19, as well.
