As Joppatowne High School students begin returning to classes after last week’s fatal shooting on campus, the school has updated security measures.
Principal Melissa Williams said in an announcement video that the school has received inquires on how safety will be improved. She said staff “have been diligently preparing to come back to school” after 15-year-old Warren Curtis Grant died Friday.
Additional personnel from Harford County Public Schools and the county sheriff’s office will be on campus for the return. While the police officers will be identifiable in their uniforms, the additional school district staff will wear orange vests as they assist in the halls, cafeteria and classrooms.
Until the arrival of new lockers by next week, students will be prohibited from bringing bookbags and large purses to school. Those who bring bags big enough to hold books or laptops will be stopped and searched, with the bags confiscated until a parent or guardian can pick them up.
After the new lockers are installed, ensuring that every student has one, the larger bags must be stored in lockers upon arrival to school. Those who do not adhere to the new guidelines will be subject to searches and disciplinary actions.
Joppatowne High School had grades 10 and 12 return to school Thursday with a three-hour early dismissal. All students will be back on Friday with school dismissing three hours early.
Teachers have planned flexible lesson plans that allow for different student needs. “We want our students to be able to process and decompress throughout the day,” while allowing students who are ready to get back to their studies, teacher Erica Richardson said in the video.
The school will be back to its regular hours for all students on Monday.
Grant died in a hospital Friday afternoon after being shot during a dispute in a first-story bathroom at the school. Another student, 16-year-old Jaylen Prince, is being charged as an adult for the killing.
“We are all grieving,” Richardson said in the video. “But by coming together as a community, we can grieve together and support one another.”