Autauga County school board passes clear bag policy after gun found at school

PRATTVILLE, Ala. (WSFA) - Parents packed the Autauga County school board meeting Tuesday night. People were upset after a gun was found at Prattville Junior High School.

“That is disturbing to me because we’ve seen the things that are going on around the country. Even a 6-year-old brought a gun and shot a teacher,” said Patrick Lucas, referring to an incident in Newport News, Virginia last month.

Lucas has four grandchildren who go to Autauga County schools. He said the incident is traumatizing.

“I just feel that there needs to be more done on stopping some of this behavior because I can say it’s just a matter of time,” Lucas said.

The gun in Prattville was found last week after a student reported it to staff, school officials said. That is why the school board passed a clear bag policy Tuesday.

School board representative Kim Crockett advocated for the new rule. She said it will only affect Prattville Junior High School and Prattville High School students.

“I felt it was very important tonight to enact some swift safety measures,” Crockett said.

“I know a lot of people won’t agree, but I agree with it because we need to do everything we can to keep our kids safe,” Lucas said.

School officials are still working out the details of this clear bag policy. The date it will go into effect has yet to be released. The school board says it will announce an official date on Feb. 21.

The school board is looking into ways of getting metal detectors into schools, according to Crockett. She said they do not have the funding at this time.

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