Police Sweep Medford Schools After Loaded Gun Clip Goes Unreported

medford city hall lana jones

Medford City Hall. (Lana Jones/WBZ NewsRadio 1030)

BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Weapons sweeps were conducted Thursday in schools across Medford after news broke that a loaded gun clip was found in a school auditorium but not reported to police or the community for six weeks.

Seventeen teams of law enforcement combed Medford Schools throughout the day for weapons and anything else suspicious, but nothing has been found so far.

The magazine was found in the McGlynn School auditorium over holiday vacation.

Mayor Stephanie Burke said McGlynn School Principal Jake Edwards has been placed on leave for his lack of action after receiving the clip from a custodian.

Burke said his handling of the discovery of the magazine put the entire school community at risk.

"I'm deeply concerned about the way this matter was handled by the school administration, the lack of attention to the potential threat this situation imposed, and the lack of notice and communication with police personnel as well as my office," she said.

An independent investigation headed by former Attorney General Martha Coakley is now underway, but that isn't enough for one parent of two who spoke to WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones.

"I want the superintendent terminated, and anyone else that knows about this, there needs to be action against him," she said.

The Superintendent, who learned of the clip a week after it was found, was not invited to the mayor's news conference.

Burke said it'll be up to the school committee to decide his status.

Parent Cheryl Rodriguez said she’s more concerned about a lack of communication.

“We can’t just wait for an incident to happen and then have this big emotional explosion, and then everything recedes away and none of the processes are changed,” she said. “When things happen at the school, the parents need to know. They need to know right away.”

Burke said she understands why parents are upset.

"We don't blame them, and that's why we're trying to bring comfort by doing these sweeps," she said. "Thank God nothing has been found."

Extra security will be on hand when classes resume on Monday.

"It will be subtle," she said. "We do not want children, especially our youngest, to be afraid to enter the school building. We want them to know it is safe enough, we are here as well, and it's safe.”

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones reports


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content