New safety measures to be implemented after gun fired at Charleston High School Athletic Complex

CHARLESTON, Mo. (KBSI) – The superintendent of the Charleston R-I School District announces new safety measures for the remainder of the Spring 2024 semester after a student brought a firearm to school and it fired.

Superintendent Jamarcus Williams and other district leaders spent the past 24 hours responding to Tuesday’s incident, where an alternative school student brought a firearm to school and discharged it into the ground at the Charleston High School athletic complex.

Tuesday afternoon, Williams and Board President Evin Burke called an emergency school board meeting to discuss safety plans.

Wednesday morning, Williams held another meeting with school administrators and local law enforcement to discuss and implement safety initiatives for the rest of the school year.

Safety measures that will be taken, effective immediately, and until further notice, include the following:

• Metal detectors will be used at Charleston Jr. / Sr. High School (7-12) for all students upon entrance daily.
• Backpacks, book bags, purses, and other personal bags are not allowed district-wide.
• Student-athletes may only bring athletic gear to school in approved bags, which must be immediately placed in an approved location upon arrival. During bus travel, bags must be placed in an approved location.

Charleston’s Alternative School program is currently being reviewed.

Charleston Department of Public Safety officers are investigating after they were notified that a student had fired a gun at the Charleston High School Football Field around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26.

Responding officers took the suspect into custody without incident.

The firearm, a handgun, was found nearby.

The investigation revealed that there was a fight in the men’s restroom at the football field. During the fight, officers say a juvenile had a handgun.

As he was doing so, the gun discharged.

No one was injured.

The handgun was later found to have been reported stolen in Sikeston.

The suspect, a 14-year-old boy, is being held at the Mississippi County Juvenile Detention Facility.

He will be referred to the Juvenile Court on charges of assault, weapons violations and possessing a stolen firearm.

Since the suspect is a juvenile, very little information can be released.

The Charleston Jr./Sr. High School was placed on lockdown around 3 p.m. The lockdown was lifted around 3:24 p.m.

School Superintendent Jamarcus Williams canceled classes for Wednesday, March 27 and Thursday, March 28 to discuss strengthening safety protocol. The cancellation impacts Charleston Jr./Sr. High School, Charleston Middle School and Warren E. Hearnes Elementary School.

Williams thanked the building administrators, district faculty and staff and law enforcement for their prompt and concise handling of the matter.

Williams says parents and students can find a list of crisis resources at charlestonbluejays.org/crisis/.

On Thursday, Williams and administrators plan to meet with district employees to discuss plans and address any concerns that they have.