A student teacher says she was shocked and scared after walking out of Norman High School unchecked during a hold prompted by a firearm report on campus Sept. 16.

Lyla Gaubert, a University of Oklahoma education senior who student-teaches at Norman High three days a week, was inside the building when administrators announced a "hold" over the speakers around 11:30 a.m. that Wednesday. Gaubert told the OU Daily she left the building around noon to make a 1 p.m. class at OU after her teacher said she could go.

No security was at the doors, she said.

Gaubert told the OU Daily the announcement "sounded so casual, so I think people thought that it was just something small." She said a lockdown announcement instead of a hold might have been taken more seriously.

What happened Sept. 16

Two 14-year-old males were taken into custody after administrators received a report that a student may have had a firearm, according to earlier OU Daily reporting. School resource officers and administrators found three guns. Two were in a backpack; the third was on one student's person.

At 12:22 p.m., Norman Public Schools texted families that the campus was on a "hold," describing it as a measure to keep hallways clear. Families did not learn about the firearms until a follow-up message at 1:43 p.m., when the hold was lifted.

Charges were presented to the Cleveland County District Attorney's Office on Sept. 21, according to Norman Police Department public information officer Sarah Schettler. One student faced charges of possession of a firearm on school property and knowingly concealing stolen property. The other faced charges of possession of a firearm on school property and carrying a loaded firearm.

Community pushback

Gaubert called for Norman Public Schools to install metal detectors at school entrances. Parents echoed that call in comments on a KOCO 5 Facebook post about the incident published Friday, Sept. 25, with some also calling for security guards at entrances and criticizing the communication delay.

District response

Superintendent Nick Migliorino sent a statement to NPS staff and families the week of Sept. 16, saying the district takes firearm incidents seriously and uses "multiple layers of prevention, preparation and response." NPS already uses weapons detection systems at extracurricular events, according to the statement.

The district follows the Standard Response Protocols from the "I Love U Guys" Foundation, which defines five actions: hold, secure, lockdown, evacuate and shelter. A "hold" keeps students in classrooms to clear hallways but is a step below a full lockdown.

NPS has 26 sworn law enforcement officers serving as school resource officers, with one stationed at every campus, including elementary schools. By comparison, Edmond Public Schools has 28 schools but only 13 school resource officers (SROs) and none permanently assigned to elementary campuses, the OU Daily reported.

An NPS spokesperson told the OU Daily in an email that district and school leaders debrief with the Safety and Security team after any safety-related incident and, when appropriate, with law enforcement partners.

The district also operates a "Speak Up for Safety" anonymous tip line where students and others can report concerns by phone, text or email.

The status of the charges referred to the Cleveland County DA's office has not been publicly confirmed.