Stoneham, MA was rocked by a disturbing incident last week that has parents and community members clamoring for transparency after an armed man was arrested at South Elementary School. According to NBC10 Boston, the man, identified as James McCarty, was apprehended with knives on the school grounds, sending parents into a state of alarm over the safety of their children.

Police were called to the scene on March 21 and managed to quickly locate and arrest McCarty, who was known to officers for his mental health issues. Court documents revealed that he had been carrying a green folding knife and a hunting knife at the time of his arrest. Despite the prompt response from law enforcement, parents were not to find out about the chilling events until five days later when the school finally communicated the occurrence.

During an emotion-charged meeting, Stoneham Police Chief James O'Connor and Superintendent David Ljungberg faced the music, delivering apologies to the parents for the delay in communication. "There is absolutely no doubt that you should have been notified Thursday of what happened," O'Connor said. "This failure will not happen again," he guaranteed, as reported by NBC10 Boston. Ljungberg added an apology of his own for not having managed the situation differently.

Parents, still reeling from the shock and fear for their children's safety, were critical of the school committee's inaction. "Mr. Ljungberg, I have absolutely zero faith in your ability to be the superintendent," Stoneham resident Andrew Dawson stated. He further emphasized his disdain by saying, "I really think you should resign, or go your separate ways, because this isn't working," echoing a sentiment felt by many at the meeting. Katrina Bridges told committee members, "You don't respond to emails, you don’t communicate upfront when it needs to happen," as quoted by Boston.com.

Frustrated and concerned parents are left to question not only the incident but also the trustworthiness of those at the helm of their children's education. With McCarty facing multiple charges, including for carrying a dangerous weapon on school grounds and disorderly conduct.