JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For the ninth time this school year, a gun was found in a Jacksonville school. The gun was found Tuesday in a charter school. Three brothers who go to Sal Tech Charter High School were arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
According to the police report, 17-year-old Tresean Pittman showed a fellow student a gun in his backpack, and he and two of his triplet brothers, 18-year-olds Anthony and Ashawn Roundtree, were all seen in possession of the backpack at some point on Tuesday.
Recommended Videos
Anthony Roundtree was also charged with armed possession of marijuana. He is listed in the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office database as an active member of the Westside Entertainment gang.
The finding came the same day the superintendent and school board had their monthly meeting, where they discussed a plan to help put an end to students bringing guns to school.
The plan includes increasing random searches at those schools with a higher number of incidents, expanding city and outside resources at schools where there are a lack of student activities, and developing a tip line where students can anonymously report any suspicions of weapons at school.
Duval County Schools superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti said the district will do their part, but that the community and parents also need to step up. Many parents who spoke with News4Jax agree.
"Because you have a lot of parents there, school will call about their kid getting in trouble and the school gets cast out instead of finding out, 'OK what did I do? OK let's have a meeting let's talk about it let's see what we can do to resolve this,'" said Cyrus Truitt, a parent of five.
Some parents of older children point as much to the parents as to the schools.
"At least pay attention and quit letting them run the roads and do what they want," said parent Jessica Sweat-Cole, who has two kids who have graduated from Clay County schools, but she has been keeping up with all the guns recently found in Duval County schools. "Parents need to put their foot down and discipline the kids, like we were always disciplined when we were growing up."
Many are asking if there is anything more that schools can do to curb gun possession by students on campus.
"They've already started putting the metal detectors and schools which is crazy to me they started those things," Truitt said. "I feel if we all come together, it will have to be the parents coming together with the schools. It can't just be the schools, or just be the parents, but we just have to start parenting our kids better."