The mass shooting at a Mormon church in Michigan on Sunday was yet another reminder of the next-level security that’s now necessary in public gathering places.
Sadly, that includes our schools.
More than 300 people have now been killed and nearly 1,400 have been injured in 310 shootings in the U.S. in 2025, and 11 school shootings have claimed four lives and have injured 38 others. That’s why, following a “knucklehead” incident in late August in front of Hooverstown Heights Primary School in Follansbee, upgrades were made by Brooke County School officials.
On August 26, an adult male was spotted carrying what appeared to be a long rifle along a street near the primary school, prompting responses from the school district’s security team and the Brooke County Sheriff’s Office.
“But what the man was actually carrying was an air rifle that did not have an orange nozzle,” reported John White, the school system’s Chief of Safety and Security. “He was only standing there for about 30 seconds before he got into a vehicle, according to the video, but thankfully, we had someone see what he was doing and make a call.
“Our community heard about the incident and reacted to the reports. They told us they wanted more security in their schools so that’s what’s taken place thanks to Dr. Crook and our Board of Education,” he said. “We now have two new resource officers on our team because a part of the school system’s job is to keep our kids safe while our educators are teaching them what they’re going to need to know for the future.
“But that can’t happen if we’re not keeping them safe while they are in our care, so, that’s why decisions have been made to add additional resource officers after we had a knucklehead walk across the road toward the school with what appeared to be a rifle.”
Although the man was not guilty of breaking any West Virginia laws, White found the scenario alarming.
“Why would someone think it’s a good idea to carry anything resembling a rifle near a school is beyond me, but that’s why it was a very eye-opening and scary situation,” he explained. “In this day and age, for something like that to happen is unacceptable.
“From a law enforcement perspective, it was eye-opening and a very scary situation,” White said emphatically. “Even though the man didn’t commit a crime, it showed us another hypothetical that we needed to cover.”
Hard Targets
It was announced in mid-December 2020 that John White was hired to be the lead resource officer for Brooke County Schools, and that’s why residents already know he has a law enforcement background that’s rooted in the Northern Panhandle.
He’s not the news here.
The reaction White has provoked, however, is headline-worthy.
“We knew when we brought John on board that, no matter what situation we might have, our staff would be prepared to handle it and to collaborate with our Brooke County Sheriff’s Office, with the State Police, and the police departments,” explained Brooke County Superintendent Dr. Jeff Crook. “Now that we have hired two more resource officers, we have six with John as the lead and we’re just as confident in him as we were five years ago.
“He’s become an expert at school safety during his career in law enforcement and in school systems in Sarasota, Fla., so when adding officers was his recommendation, we knew we had to make it happen,” he said. “He has a wealth of knowledge that he’s brought to us in Brooke County, and we’re a better school system with him in charge of safety and security.”
White has also revamped all other aspects connected to safety, from structural renovations to updated surveillance systems.
“We have the man traps in our schools, and we have emergency procedures in place that we practice often,” he described. “We also have great relationships with our Sheriff’s Office and our police departments in Brooke County, and we know we can count on those officers when they are needed for a situation we may have.
“It’s about safety and the plans are in place,” White insisted. “We have upgraded the security system that was in place when Dr. Crook and I started working together, and we have reacted to this air rifle situation the way our parents and taxpayers wanted us to react.”
Brooke High School was opened in 1969 for the consolidation of the high schools in Bethany, Follansbee, and Wellsburg, and 840 students are currently enrolled in the high school while 1,377 other boys and girls attend classes in the other five schools.
Despite the number of school-based shootings recorded over the past few decades, Crook believes far too many local folks believe such horror could never materialize in this region, and that’s why he’s quick to remind anyone the unpredictability of tragedy.
“We do hear it all the time, and we want that to remain true for an infinite amount of time,” Crook said. “But we have to take the proper precautions to protect our children, so that’s exactly what we’ve done. We also review our security plans frequently just to make sure we’ve got the best systems in place because the technology is always improving.
“We’ve learned we can’t allow our schools to be soft targets,” the superintendent added. “So, that’s exactly why we’ve made the changes we’ve made.”