IMAGE: Courtesy Green Bay Area Public School District.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A lockdown at a Green Bay school is prompting officials to take a closer look at its procedures.
It all stems from a shooting on Green Bay’s east side, involving two teens this past Friday, April 19, that left some parents in a panic.
“My hands were shaking and I was just quite distressed, it was like a trauma incident honestly,” said Karen Metzler, a parent with two children that are in 2nd and 7th grade at Leonardo da Vinci School for Gifted Learners.
On Friday afternoon, the pair was dropped off by a district bus at Danz Elementary, their usual bus stop.
“It’s the way the district allows us to have some busing to get kids back into their home neighborhoods,” said Metzler.
The problem was on that afternoon, Danz, along with Preble High School, were on lockdown in a response to a nearby shooting.
“I immediately texted my children’s dad and said are the kids getting picked up or are they walking home? What’s the plan? I’m out of town. And he said they’re walking home and I, it was very scary to know that my children might be walking across a crime scene or next to a crime scene,” said Meztler.
The two children were instructed by their father to not walk home.
Metzler says her two kids were eventually let into Danz, but only after the lockdown was lifted.
She says the children were at the elementary school a total of 20 minutes.
It’s unclear exactly how long her children were waiting outside the school.
A friend of Metzler’s was able to go and pick up the two children and bring them home.
A statement from the Green Bay Area Public School District reads:
The Green Bay Area Public School District is appreciative to the families that brought to our attention the situation that occurred on Friday, April 19, 2024 regarding hub busing. Friday was an Early Release day, and students that rode the hub bus were delivered to their regular location at Danz Elementary School. At that time, Danz Elementary was in “secure the building – outside situation.” In our crisis response to the community situation near Preble and Danz, the hub busing was not addressed, leaving a gap in our response to student safety. Our crisis team has been debriefing and will make the necessary adjustments to the communication plan to ensure this does not happen again.
Metzler agrees that changes should be made.
“Makes me a little nervous though I think we all need to start thinking through different scenarios and asking questions, safety questions, if there could be other gaps that we’ve yet to identify to keep our children safe,” said Metzler.
Green Bay police arrested a 15-year-old in connection with the shooting of a 16-year-old on Friday. Officers also found a gun they believe was used in the crime.
The school district says there will be an additional police presence around Preble High School when students head back to school on Monday, that could last throughout the week.
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