{"id":442605,"date":"2026-08-25T02:54:38","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T02:54:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/442605\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T02:54:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T02:54:38","slug":"parents-demand-answers-more-security-after-shooting-at-high-school-football-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/442605\/","title":{"rendered":"Parents demand answers, more security after shooting at high school football game"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the wake of Friday night\u2019s shooting at Independence High School, parents and community members are demanding answers about security at Kern High School District football games, including calls for metal detectors and more security.<\/p>\n<p>Bakersfield police spokesman Eric Celedon said the community can move forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe really want to reiterate one thing. How amazing our community is. How strong our community is. We can get through this,\u201d Celedon said.<\/p>\n<p>Even so, questions about what, if anything, will change at high school football games have put KHSD in the spotlight.<\/p>\n<p>Requests for information from the district about whether metal detectors are being considered and whether security procedures are being reviewed following Friday night\u2019s shooting went unanswered. Phone calls seeking answers also did not result in a response. Stan Greene, the director of school support services, said questions had to go through the KHSD public information office, but no response was received.<\/p>\n<p>Celedon said police have not seen information suggesting an ongoing threat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have no information that leads us to believe that there\u2019s any ongoing threat to our community. So, please we want to reinforce that we believe our Friday night football games here in Bakersfield are a safe place to take your family,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>For some parents and community members, reassurance is not the same as accountability. Mackenzie Maxson has started a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/end-gun-violence-hold-kern-high-school-district-accountable\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Change.org petition<\/a> titled \u201cEnd Gun Violence, Hold Kern High School District Accountable,\u201d calling for metal detectors or handheld wands, along with trained security officers at Independence High and other KHSD high schools.<\/p>\n<p>KHSD football games are monitored by Kern School District police officers, who work alongside local law enforcement, including the Bakersfield Police Department. There are no metal detectors.<\/p>\n<p>Questions about whether KHSD has reviewed its current safety system after the shooting also went unanswered.<\/p>\n<p>In Fresno, Fresno Unified School District said it uses a different approach. The district said, \u201cAll attendees to our games are screened by a weapons detection system and belongings are subject to search prior to entry. We also have a clear bag policy in effect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Celedon said he expects fans to return to games.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am confident that next Friday, everybody will be back here full force enjoying the football games as they are intended,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Independence High is scheduled to play at Cajon High School in San Bernardino on Friday. Cajon\u2019s school district was asked whether security procedures will be changed or enhanced for the game, but no response has been received.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the wake of Friday night\u2019s shooting at Independence High School, parents and community members are demanding answers&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":442606,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152],"class_list":["post-442605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=442605"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442605\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/442606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=442605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=442605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=442605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}