Parents speak out after a round of ammo found in restroom at Minerva High School, police say

MINERVA, Ohio (WOIO) - A local mom said she is scared for her child’s safety.

She’s speaking out after a single bullet was found in the student bathroom.

“Why was it there? Is it just accidental? Or was there a plan in place?” asked one Minverva mom.

A Minerva parent is left with a lot of unanswered questions after a bullet was found inside a restroom at Minerva High School.

One 9mm round of ammo was found in a restroom at Minerva High School, police say.

“Oh, I instantly panicked,” said the Minerva mom. “It’s a lot different now that we have all these school shootings.”

She asked 19 News to remain anonymous to protect her child.

She said she is angry at what happened and disappointed with the school.

According to her, instead of immediately hearing from school officials, her child, who is a student at the school, is the one who broke the news to her.

“I called the school, they were like, ‘oh yea we found a bullet’. It was very dismissive,” said the Minerva mom. “I said by allowing the children to inform us I think you’ve defeated your purpose and caused more panic and they laughed. I was infuriated.”

She showed 19 News an email she received from the Minerva Local Schools Superintendent Garry Chaddock about the ammunition found.

She said the mail was sent a day after the incident.

In a statement to 19 News, Minerva Local Schools said:

“The safety and security of our students and staff is our utmost priority as a District. On January 26th, 2023, a single bullet was found at Minerva High School. The District utilized our security team to increase visibility and presence at the school while administration began the investigation. The District engaged in ongoing consultation with law enforcement to evaluate the situation which indicated there was not an immediate threat to safety. Upon concluding the investigation late this morning, the District confirmed that there is no active threat to Minerva High School. I would like to thank our District safety team, the Minerva Police Department, the Stark County Sheriff’s Office, and the Canton City Police Department for their efforts in ensuring the safety of our students and staff.”

We never received an answer as to why officials waited so long to contact parents but some say they hope this is wakeup call to improve communication with parents in the future.

“I think if they would have relayed to the parents that this is what’s going on, this is how we’re handling it, your children are safe, we are taking every precaution to maintain safety and just let the parents know”

This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.

Copyright 2023 WOIO. All rights reserved.