Valley Stream School Board member demands more transparency after guns were brought near school grounds

AB: Both incidents happened at district elementary schools and involved current or former police officers. A school board member says parents were not notified in either instance.

News 12 Staff

Nov 15, 2023, 1:43 AM

Updated 308 days ago

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A Valley Stream school board member is demanding more transparency after guns were brought onto or close to school grounds.
Both incidents happened at district elementary schools and involved current or former police officers. A school board member says parents were not notified in either instance.
One of the incidents happened on Election Day when a police officer stopped at a school to vote. Security saw that person carrying a firearm.
The other incident happened in October shortly after the war between Hamas and Israel began. A retired police officer was patrolling off the property of his grandchildren’s school with a gun.
When law enforcement arrived, they asked him to leave, and he complied.
Valley Stream Union Free School District 13 Board Trustee Anthony Bonelli says the district should have told parents about each incident.
“I think it’s shocking that the parents in District 13 are not notified of a second incident where a person came onto the campus with a gun,” said Anthony Bonelli.
The district released a statement to News 12, saying it followed its safety and security protocols in both situations. District officials say they communicate with parents using various platforms but did not say if parents were specifically notified about those two incidents.