Charter school superintendent issues statement regarding gun-on-campus incident
Dr. Angela Pruitt, the superintendent of the Cape Coral Municipal Charter School System, has issued a statement in the wake on an on-campus arrest of a man who had two guns in his car while parked on the Oasis schools campus.
Kenneth A. Pearson, 39, was arrested Monday afternoon after he arrived on school grounds at Oasis Charter School where, police were told, he might come due to an ongoing dispute between Pearson and his wife, who is employed at the school.
Officers had been informed that Pearson typically carries firearms and had been calling his estranged wife during the day on Monday and she was concerned for her safety.
Police say Pearson arrived at the school and was walking towards the building. Officers, who were on alert for Pearson, saw and stopped him. Pearson reportedly told them that he was there to drop off the couple’s son for school.
Officers asked Pearson if he had any firearms and Pearson told them he had two guns in his vehicle, an unloaded .38 revolver and a fully loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol, officials said, adding Pearson does not possess a concealed weapons permit.
Pearson was arrested for possession of a firearm on school grounds and transported to jail.
Pearson was not armed as he was walking towards the school building.
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Statement from Dr. Angela Pruitt
Superintendent of the Cape Coral Municipal Charter School System
Late Monday morning, we became aware of a domestic dispute involving a staff member. We immediately consulted with our School Resource Officers about the situation. There was no immediate threat of physical violence; however, we were alerted that the spouse of the staff member may have firearms.
We discussed the possibility that the spouse might arrive on campus at a specific time as he had done on previous school days. The spouse did arrive as expected and was met at his vehicle by School Resource Officers and Charter School administration.
The intent was to discuss the domestic situation; however, during the conversation, the spouse was asked if he had access to firearms. He confirmed that he did, and they were in his vehicle. He was immediately taken in to custody. The discussion with the spouse was not confrontational, and there was no threat of violence. Students and staff were not at risk.
Currently, the individual is in the custody at the Lee County Jail. For further information on his status, contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Office or visit their website at www.sheriffleefl.org.
We have taken every legal precaution related to this matter. The staff member is currently on leave, and the situation and circumstances are being reviewed by the Charter School Authority.??The City of Cape Coral Charter School Authority, in conjunction with the Cape Coral Police Department, is working to ensure that our schools are safe. Our School Resource Officers are sworn Cape Coral police officers who are permanently assigned to our Charter School system. We also are in the process of hiring a security guard at Oasis High School.
We have processes and procedures in place to protect our students and staff. We require all visitors to go to the office, sign in, present identification if necessary, and obtain a pass before visiting halls or classrooms. Our policy is to have all outside doors (except the front office) locked during the school day after the tardy bell rings each morning. Students and staff can exit through all outside doors but entry is not possible. We also ask our teachers to keep their classroom doors locked during school hours. Security drills are held regularly to help ensure the safety of our students.
Please know that we follow all approved safety procedures whenever necessary. We also will continue to evaluate our security measures and will inform parents of any further security steps that are developed by our staff. Our foremost concern is the safety of the children and teachers at all of our schools.
Thank you.