The staff member said the standard communication process to employees and families was ignored — even before administrators confirmed the weapon was a BB gun.
SAN ANTONIO — Staff members at a west-side school are left with questions after an unsettling incident on campus.
On Monday, a seventh grader reportedly threatened students with a gun he brought to class. That weapon turned out to be a BB gun, according to San Antonio police officials.
The incident happened at IDEA Monterrey Park, a public charter school off Southwest 39th and Commerce on San Antonio’s west side.
A staff member told KENS 5 most of the campus had no idea about what happened until later the next day — including families whose children were threatened.
“To all administrators of schools, educators trust in you to not only protect students above all, but to protect your educators and staff who are there doing the work day in and day out,” said the IDEA Monterrey Park employee, who interviewed exclusively with KENS 5 under condition of anonymity.
According to the employee, the day the weapon was brought to school, Principal Riyadh Al Obaidy was out of office on a planned absence. In charge in his place, they explained, were administrators Erlinda Valderas and Michael Fitz.
The IDEA employee is sharing their story because they believe the public should know more details about Monday’s incident that weren’t released to the public.
Was school policy followed?
According to the employee, the troubling moments began around lunchtime, when the cafeteria was filled with more than 400 students.
“It was reported by students that he showed this gun to six children during their lunch period,” said the staff member. “They did claim that he threatened those students that if they told, he would use that clip on those students.”
The employee says the children followed the rules of “see something, say something,” notifying an adult about the gun the next class period.
“At the time of the reported gun in the student’s bag, there was no confirmation what type of firearm it was,” explained the employee.
The staff member said after an unusually long wait, administrators took the 12-year-old out of class. While IDEA Monterrey Park does have an officer who patrols campus, the employee said the officer was not present when administrators arrived to escort the student out of the classroom.
“He was allowed to grab his own belongings and walk out that door… without the officer even being present,” the staff member explained. “The student did attempt to run when he was detained in the hallway.”
According to IDEA Schools “Crisis Comms” policy, if a weapon is reported on campus, schools must place the campus on lockdown before telling staff and families what’s going on using the parent portal REMIND.
According to the employee, there was no communication about the incident to anyone within the school community that day—going against protocol.
“They failed to inform any of the parents of any classmates of that student that the gun was in the vicinity of their own classroom,” they said. “It was very alarming that we knew this situation happened almost 24 hours ago and no one’s being told about it.”
The staff member says employees were briefed about the incident in a meeting Tuesday morning with the school principal. At 4:48 p.m., a letter was sent to the entire Monterrey Park community.
KENS 5 obtained a copy of the letter written by Fitz, assistant principal of operations at IDEA Monterrey Park.
The letter to families reads in part: “I am writing to update you regarding a situation that occurred on our campus on Monday, March 3, 2025. An individual was allegedly in possession of a prohibited item on school grounds. School leaders are working in collaboration with authorities in the investigation. All students and staff are safe.
“We will continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of staff and students…We will also keep families informed and updated as necessary if the need arises via REMIND.
“We take matters of this nature seriously and legal action towards anyone who brings prohibited items to campus are taken per state law.”
San Antonio police told KENS 5 that on “March 4, SAPD was dispatched to the location for a report. Staff of the location reported to police that the suspect, a student of the location, was overheard making threats to a fellow student on the listed incident date. Staff was also notified that the suspect might be in possession of a firearm. Security searched the suspect’s backpack where a BB gun was located.”
Police say no arrests have been made and they’re investigating the case as “…A Terroristic Threat – Interrupt a Public Place.”
“We do not feel safe. We feel, given situations that have occurred in other schools like Uvalde, that it would be handled the way it should now… the biggest fear I think any educator would have is finding out a gun is on the premises then finding out how negligent administration was,” said the employee. “In this case, it was mishandled in such a way that it truly made me question whether I want to do something I had dreamed of doing my entire life.”
The staff member hopes in the future no administration will stray from protocol when a weapon is reported at school.
The employee says the student caught with the gun, who was originally set to return to school Friday, has been expelled.
IDEA Schools would not confirm with KENS 5 that a weapon was found, but they told us in a statement that “IDEA Monterrey Park is aware of an individual who was allegedly in possession of a prohibited item on school grounds.”
“School leaders are working in collaboration with authorities in the investigation,” their statement continues. “Students and staff are safe, and no injuries were reported. As this is an ongoing investigation all further questions should be directed to the San Antonio Police Department.”