Over the past week, several school districts throughout the Susquehanna Valley have received threats that some students would bring guns to school Friday.
Many people say they're the result of the school shootings in Connecticut. That's also prompted a man in Lancaster County to patrol outside a school to make sure nothing happens.
Thursday morning, when the East High Street Elementary School buses were dropping the students off, they weren't alone. There was a Navy veteran dressed in full military fatigues trying to keep the kids safe and it's causing controversy.
His name is Brian Knepp of Elizabethtown. He doesn't have any kids in the school.
He has two nephews in the district and he wants to keep the kids safe, especially the youngest.
He was here standing outside the school for six hours Thursday. He was not armed, but he felt his presence alone could help.
He told us on the phone he did it to make the kids feel safe, and the reaction from the parents was amazing and positive.
“These are my kids. I want them safe,” commented parent Shanen Long.
So, you like what this man's doing, we asked her?
“I love what this man's doing. I respect him for it and I think it should be done in all the schools around the country,” Long told us.
“I felt safer with my kids at school today that I did any day I dropped them off,” believes parent Amber Myers.
The school district released this statement about Knepp:
“While certain ideas may seem like excellent prevention measures to some, these same ideas may cause concern to others. It is for that reason that we follow the best practices that are given to us by our local law enforcement and the regional, state, and national agencies that deal with school safety and emergency management.”
Knepp was not here Thursday night, he's graduating from McCann in Carlisle in Criminal Justice.
He told us he wanted to come back Friday, but the administration was not very welcoming to him even though the parents were. He said he wants to be here, but he doesn't want to cause problems.
Many people say they're the result of the school shootings in Connecticut. That's also prompted a man in Lancaster County to patrol outside a school to make sure nothing happens.
Thursday morning, when the East High Street Elementary School buses were dropping the students off, they weren't alone. There was a Navy veteran dressed in full military fatigues trying to keep the kids safe and it's causing controversy.
His name is Brian Knepp of Elizabethtown. He doesn't have any kids in the school.
He has two nephews in the district and he wants to keep the kids safe, especially the youngest.
He was here standing outside the school for six hours Thursday. He was not armed, but he felt his presence alone could help.
He told us on the phone he did it to make the kids feel safe, and the reaction from the parents was amazing and positive.
“These are my kids. I want them safe,” commented parent Shanen Long.
So, you like what this man's doing, we asked her?
“I love what this man's doing. I respect him for it and I think it should be done in all the schools around the country,” Long told us.
“I felt safer with my kids at school today that I did any day I dropped them off,” believes parent Amber Myers.
The school district released this statement about Knepp:
“While certain ideas may seem like excellent prevention measures to some, these same ideas may cause concern to others. It is for that reason that we follow the best practices that are given to us by our local law enforcement and the regional, state, and national agencies that deal with school safety and emergency management.”
Knepp was not here Thursday night, he's graduating from McCann in Carlisle in Criminal Justice.
He told us he wanted to come back Friday, but the administration was not very welcoming to him even though the parents were. He said he wants to be here, but he doesn't want to cause problems.