WELLINGTON, Fla. — We're listening to parents who tell us they have more questions after two students were arrested Thursday at Wellington Community High School.
Parents told WPTV that the lack of communication has fueled speculation about how the bullets got on campus.
"I don't exactly know what happened yesterday. I have no idea, there's just talk," said parent Erin Rosado. "It's like a rumor mill out there on social media right now."
WATCH: Parents share concerns with WPTV's Joel Lopez
On Thursday, Wellington High School Principal Cara Gorham emailed parents saying the campus received the all clear, and all students and staff are safe.
The School District of Palm Beach County told WPTV there was never a lockdown.
"I was like how was it not a lockdown? The kids are being held where they're at and told not to leave," said Rosado.
Her son is a freshman at Wellington High School who said he was in the locker room, where he was told to stay for nearly three hours.
WATCH: 2 students arrested after bullets found at Wellington High School
"Do you listen to your kids and all the stories they're telling you or do you trust that the school is telling you the right thing?" said Rosado.
Wellington High School's principal emailed parents that everyone was safe and that there was never a threat, and a weapon was never found.
"Tell us the truth, tell us what happened, you don't have bullets without a gun," said Rosado.
We dug for answers on Friday from the School District who provided us with the following:
"Due to this matter being part of an ongoing investigation and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the School District of Palm Beach County cannot provide further information at this time.
The safety and security of our campuses continues to remain our top priority.
While we are unable to share more detailed information at this time, we do caution against relying on unofficial accounts or rumors. Parents with questions may contact the school directly."
Concerns linger on the safety at Wellington Community High School, and how the bullets got in.
"It's scary, because how did things get through the metal detectors?," said parent Wendy Wagner, who was on campus trying to pick her student up early on Thursday.
WPTV has been inquiring about the Wellington High School's metal detectors since Thursday.
On Friday WPTV reached out to the school district with general questions on if district metal detectors have helped confiscate any items this school year, and if so, what.
We got the following statement:
"We maintain a multi-layered approach to campus safety, which includes both visible and behind-the-scenes safeguards. These measures are designed to work in concert to support campus safety. Schools work closely with School Police to regularly review and enhance our safety protocols. While we cannot disclose specific details of these protocols, as doing so could compromise their effectiveness, the safety and well-being of our students and staff remains our highest priority."
They added that all district-operated high schools have the following security measures in place:
- Metal detectors
- At least one designated sworn law enforcement officer
- Single point of entry
- Universal ID badges
- Crisis alert system for staff that immediately alerts administrators and first responders in the event of an emergency
- Regular safety drills (e.g., fire, lockdown, active threat)
- Threat assessment teams at each school
- Partnerships with local law enforcement agencies
WPTV has been working to get clarity for parents and reached out to the Wellington High School's Parent Teacher Student Association, the Florida Department of Education, and every school board member in Palm Beach County, including District 6 board member Marcia Andrews, who represents Wellington High School, but we did not get any response.
"I don't want people to get it twisted. I'm thankful that the teachers and staff did what needed to be done, but that doesn't negate the lack of communication to the parents, even afterwards," said Rosado.
WPTV did get a response from the Mayor of the Village of Wellington, Michael Napoleone who said:
"Thank you for reaching out and for your continued coverage of this important issue. I’m presently out of the country on a work trip, but I have kept up to date on developments.
I share the concerns of parents and families regarding the recent incident at Wellington High School. My oldest son graduated from Wellington High and my youngest attends public middle school in Wellington. The safety of our students and school communities is always a top priority, and any potential threat is taken very seriously. While the School District and law enforcement continue their investigation, I am confident they are working diligently to understand how this occurred and to ensure all proper safety protocols are being reviewed and reinforced. If procedures need to be improved, we will advocate for those improvements and help in any way we can.
While I am not able to speak on the specifics of the case during an active investigation, I want our parents and families to know that we will work with the School District, the School District Police, and PBSO to make sure that the safety of students in our schools remains the highest priority."
