MADISON (WKOW) Over the last few weeks, there have been two incidents with guns near La Follette High School.
Glendale Neighborhood residents and La Follette parents are now full of questions waiting to be answered at a community meeting Monday night.
“This is really the first call to arms, this meeting Monday night,” Bonnie Langrehr, said.
The second shooting happened in front of her house.
The goal with Monday night’s meeting is to get neighbors, officials and the school together make sure no more violence goes from the school to the neighborhood.
“If they’re not going to hold the students responsible for their actions, then the school and Madison PD have to be held responsible,” Marilyn McWilliams, another resident, said.
Neighbors say a lot of these problems come from the open campus policy at La Follette. It lets students leave outside of school during their free periods.
“The open campus should be a privilege that a school earns, not a right,” Langrehr said.
Kenneth Bent also lives in the neighborhood and has a daughter at La Follette.
He appreciated that the school started wanding students and hopes they keep it up with more metal detectors at the doors.
He also had other ideas that he plans on bringing up at Monday’s meeting.
“I think there should be a mentoring program, where businesses get involved in helping some of these young people learn how to get jobs and learn how to be a part of the community,” Bent said. “I think that some of these kids feel like nobody cares about them.”
Bent also runs a martial arts school in Monona, just a short walk from the high school.
He said he’d gladly work with the school and participate in such a program, to help students have a nonviolent outlet.
The meeting is Monday Night at 6:30 p.m. at the Sennett Middle School auditorium.
Police Chief Mike Koval, along with district alders and La Follette Principal Sean Storch will be there to talk with people and have a dialogue.
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