REIDSVILLE, N.C. — Thursday Sofia Mosqueda saw a message that there was a loaded gun at her son's middle school.
Mosqueda says she was concerned but trusted her son was in good hands with Reidsville Middle School's staff and administration.
"I was not worried too much because I know what kind of staff we have in Reidsville," Mosqueda explained.
Rockingham County Schools says an eighth grader brought the gun and ammunition into the middle school.
"We are seeing an increase in our students' bringing weapons to school or others. We have to address that and we're doing that as aggressively and as quickly as we can," said RCS superintendent Dr. John Stover.
Due to the increase, Stover says the school system is trying to add a detection system to their existing safety measures.
"We're looking at cutting edge systems, so that we can be ahead of the game, and we want to deploy this as quickly as we are able to in a manner that makes sense for our system and our students," Stover explained.
He says schools already have door locking systems, and cameras both inside and on buses.
"That's the first thing I think about when I get up, and the last thing I think about as I go to sleep, it's our number one job in the district to keep our kids safe," Stover exclaimed.
As more weapons continue to show up on campuses everywhere, parents are holding onto their faith, hopeful that something will change.
"We need to pray for the kids, we need to pray for the staff for the school and teach the kids what is right and what is wrong," said Mosqueda.
Stover praised the student who alerted RMS administration of the firearm.
After receiving the tip, the school system says they were able to find the gun without incident. Reidsville police are taking over the investigation.
The eighth grader involved has been suspended.
Stover says middle school staff met Thursday afternoon to discuss and prepare for Friday.
They say school counselors and a crisis team will be on campus for students in need on Friday.