KALAMAZOO, Mich — Parents and community members are continuing to press Kalamazoo Public Schools for answers about school safety after a loaded handgun was brought into Kalamazoo Central High School earlier this month.
The concerns were front and center during a community safety meeting at the high school Wednesday, less than two weeks after a 16-year-old student brought the gun onto campus.
WATCH: KPS weighs new security measures after gun brought into Kalamazoo Central
The district has said its weapon detection system did not detect the gun, raising questions from parents about the security measures currently in place.
Parent Nicole Phillips said keeping students safe has to go beyond responding to incidents after they happen.
“I think that the weapons detectors and those actions are a great reaction to a situation to keep our students safe,” Phillips said. “But we need to be proactive and address the issues within our community that are leading to us needing these things in our schools.”
Phillips said she also wants to better understand how parents and community members can work alongside the district.
“Keeping our students safe and understanding how I can support that as a member of the community,” Phillips said.
For Taneka Dumas, the call for answers is personal.
Dumas is a community violence interrupter who lost her son to gun violence in 2025. She does not have a child attending Kalamazoo Central, but said that loss shapes how she approaches efforts to keep other children safe.
“Transparency is extremely important,” Dumas said.
She described the impact losing her son continues to have on her.
“That phone call that I received on April 12 of 2025 is a phone call a mother or anybody never wants to get,” Dumas said. “It’s a heartbreaker. It numbs you.”
Kalamazoo Public Schools Superintendent Darrin Slade said the district has already made an adjustment to its weapon detection system since the gun was discovered, increasing the sensitivity of the detectors.
The district is also considering additional security measures, including requiring students to use clear backpacks, adding X-ray machines and creating student and parent advisory meetings.
No final decisions on those potential measures have been announced.
District leaders said KPS only began using its weapon detection systems in 2025 and that the district’s goal is to continue improving safety for students.
For parents and community members, Tuesday’s meeting was an opportunity to ask questions about what went wrong and what happens next as the district weighs its next steps.
