Parents and school officials are reacting to recent violence related to gangs at Southwood High School

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - Caddo Parish schools are taking action after nearly two dozen students were arrested for fighting at Southwood High school.

Twenty-two of those were arrested for fighting the week of Sept. 13, while the 23rd faces a charge of terrorizing for an alleged threat of gun violence posted on social media.

Caddo Parish Public Schools Security Director Roy Murry said they are increasing random searches at the school.

“Right now, it’s standard procedure for all high schools and middle schools to do random searches with handheld metal detectors,” Murry said. “What we’re doing at Southwood and what we’re doing at any school when there are incidents that took place like at Southwood, we increase the random metal detector searches.”

Murry said metal detectors are effective; however, he added more supervision from officers is key to decreasing the violence happening at Southwood.

“It’s a proving fact kids fight when there is no supervision if you want to know where your security is weak,” he said. “Just track your incidents in school if you’re having a number of fights track where those incidents are taking place and you usually find that you don’t have someone on duty.”

Caddo Schools are making sure more school security and police are on hand each day.

“It’s as safe as we can make it right now,” Detective Thomas Lites with the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office said. “If kids commit a crime, we arrest them.”

Several parents picking up their teenagers said they do not blame the school.

“They just need to rule out the bad apples because it’s a lot of good kids that go here and want to learn,” Stanley Chapman said.

“I think it would be a little better if there were more role models. it’s easy to blame the mothers but I blame the fathers,” Melvin Penn said.

Attorney Jay Florence said pointing the finger is not going to solve the problem.

“It’s going to continue to happen because we have not presented any solutions,” Florence said. “I read some reports I heard what Sheriff Prator says, and Dr. Goree says, we all have to be involved. We are all accountable! Absolutely it has to start in the home with the parents but obviously — that’s not working, and something is sneaking between the cracks. So, we as a community, government, churches, activists, need to get out and help the parents.”

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