GREENSBORO, N.C. — Guilford County Schools (GCS) and Greensboro Police Department (GPD) met with parents Tuesday night after officers said a man with a long gun broke into Irving Park Elementary School back on April 13.
The meeting link was posted on the school's website. It was public for everyone to see.
Crews joined the meeting and identified ourselves as members of WFMY News 2 three separate times; the meeting host quickly removed us.
We contacted the school district for an explanation. The chief of staff said GCS is working on setting something up with the district and investigators on Wednesday.
We also heard from several concerned parents after the meeting. Only one agreed to go on camera. He shared what happened inside the meeting with WFMY News 2.
Ian DiGiorgio, a dad with two children at Irving Park Elementary said he's frustrated that the school took so long to inform parents about what happened.
He said parents got a voicemail from the school saying police were on campus investigating an incident, getting no specifics until days later.
DiGiorgio joined Gilford County Schools' online meeting.
"There were some very upset parents saying had I known this was the situation, I wouldn't have sent my kids back to school," DiGiorgio said.
Let's go back to that night.
Greensboro police said Jonathan Coley broke into Irving Park Elementary around 6 a.m. on Saturday, April 13, and walked the halls with a long gun.
Police said no one was there when they got to the school.
Three days later, the school's principal said she reviewed the security video and saw the man in the school, so she reported it to the police.
A parent shared that during Tuesday night's meeting, school leaders said it took a few days to access the server with the footage.
Coley has been arrested and is in jail under a $25,000 bond.
However, some parents aren't satisfied.
"How did he get into the school? In this day and age, no one should just be able to walk into a school. What was his intent? What was he going to do had there been people there? How would this situation have been handled if you didn't have anyone armed at the school?" DiGiorgio added.
These are all questions DiGiorgio thought he'd get answered during the Zoom meeting. He said the 30-minute meeting didn't answer many of the parents' questions.
"One of the big items people hit on was school resource officers. They said they were going to have he school resource officers from Grimsley and Page check in,' DiGiorgio said. "But they're leaving their campus to come to us, leaving those schools without a resource officer."
DiGiorgio said the district plans to take the comments from Tuesday's meeting and respond to parents through e-mail.
He hopes GCS will be more forthcoming with information in the future.
GPD said Coley is not allowed on any school property in Guilford County and has to turn in all guns and ammo.
If he posts bond, he must get a mental health check.