Two students have been arrested for allegedly bringing firearms to Berkeley High School on Wednesday.
Students, staff, and parents said they felt school administrators took too long to tell them about the situation. Chris Quilty said he heard about the incident from his children.
"They were the first ones to tell me what was going on," said Quilty. "They had two friends that were questioned by police, and that was kind of stressful for them and the friends. They have another friend who is a survivor of a school shooting, so they were stressed."
Investigators said a 17 and 18-year-old boy were both found with the handguns in their backpacks. One of the guns was loaded, and one bag had ammunition. One of the guns was stolen in a San Ramon burglary, according to police.
Police arrested both students around 1:30 pm on Wednesday, an hour after being made aware.
Students and staff said they saw officers waiting outside a classroom to arrest one of the students, but they were frustrated that they weren't made aware of the danger sooner.
"It's not okay because the safety officers didn't know it was happening, and that means they couldn't tell the students about it," said Amelia Reed, a senior at BHS. "What was the purpose of the guns to be on campus in the first place ?"
According to the Berkeley Unified School District, there were no reports of the weapons being shown or threats to anyone on campus.
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"We continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of our students," the district said in a statement. "Students in need of support regarding this incident have been encouraged to connect with services available on campus."
Charlotte Livermore, a senior at BHS, said she knows of the students arrested.
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"People are trying to prove themselves or be someone they aren't," she said. "They feel like sometimes having a gun, being strapped up is the way to do that, but it's not. You're just putting other people in danger."
Berkeley High has had multiple security incidents in recent years,m including when staff found two guns in separate backpacks in 2023.
Safety officers concerned with repeated issues on campus had sent a letter to the school's administration voicing concerns.
"I don't want us to go to major extremes with detectors and everything going on," Quilty said. "Unfortunately, it is a fact of going to school right now in the country. It's about outreach and engagement with the kids."
