TRINITY — The head of the Randolph County School system has vowed that the district will be more attentive to safety issues and he said broken hinges on a door that contributed to an intruder entering a school last week have been repaired.
Superintendent Stephen Gainey addressed the incident at Hopewell Elementary School in a message to parents and district residents, apologizing for the high level of anxiety that was created last week.
“While the situation did occur, it should never have happened,” Gainey said. “This individual had no business on the campus of Hopewell Elementary School, and definitely didn’t have any business being inside the school.”
Police arrested Neal McMann, 36, following the incident that resulted in a modified lockdown. At the time of the arrest in Randolph County, police said he had possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
The charges against McMann include felony drug possession, trespassing and resisting arrest. He has an outstanding warrant for absconding supervision in Davidson County.
Gainey said that school officials determined the man entered the school building because the door wasn’t secure based on bent door hinges. Maintenance personnel addressed the problem and fixed it, Gainey said.
“I am very sorry that any student, staff member or parent had to experience these feelings,” Gainey said in his message. “Please know that I will work with my staff members to do everything possible to get your trust back and prevent this type of situation from ever happening again.”
The incident drew criticism from community members and parents for what was deemed lack of timely information delivered to parents regarding the situation. Some concerns were expressed by Morgan White in the form of an open letter to the school system, seeking “a full and transparent account” and “assurances that front office staff will regularly review and practice safety protocols to prevent future security breaches.”
Gainey said the Feb. 26 incident has led to follow-up action at Hopewell Elementary School, where a full-time school resource officer will be assigned until further notice.
He said doors will be checked each morning prior to arrival of students and at other times throughout each school day. Doors will be checked again at the closing of the building each day.
Already, the district has a policy that forbids doors from being propped open.
Gainey said staff members at that elementary school and across the district should be aware that doors must remain locked and secured throughout the school day.
Visitors to and from campuses in the district should enter and exit school buildings through the front doors.
Gainey said there’s also reason for praise regarding the situation.
“I want to personally thank the staff members … who intervened so quickly upon noticing the individual on campus to prevent a worse result,” he said.
