Petition Launched For Teacher On Leave After Accidental Gunfire

MONTEREY COUNTY, CA — A petition of support is circulating for a Seaside man placed on administrative leave from both the high school he teaches at and the police department where he serves as a reserve officer after accidentally firing a gun in his classroom, according to the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District.

District spokeswoman Marci McFadden said the district knows of a petition that students are signing with the intention of saving teacher Dennis Alexander's job, but they have not received it yet. On Tuesday, Alexander was giving a presentation on gun safety at Seaside High School when he accidentally discharged his gun, according to Seaside police.

A statement the school district put out said that Alexander, who has been with the district since 1994, had the gun pointed at the ceiling, at which point he accidentally shot and debris fell from the ceiling. Officers were called to the school located at 2200 Noche Buena St. at approximately 1:20 p.m. as a result of the shooting.

Sand City police Chief Brian Ferrante confirmed Alexander's leave and said that the department will conduct their own investigation after the Seaside Police Department does. Ferrante said his agency will use any evidence and analysis that Seaside police compiles to help with their own research on whether Alexander
violated departmental policies.

MPUSD officials could not confirm reports that one student in the classroom was injured when the bullet ricocheted off the ceiling or what time the school administration found out about the incident. A news release issued by police about the shooting stated, "no one was seriously injured."

McFadden said the district's policies prohibit any person other than authorized law enforcement or security personnel from possessing weapons, imitation firearms or dangerous instruments of any kind in school
buildings, on school grounds or buses, at a school-related or school-sponsored activity away from the school or while going or coming to school.

• CA Teacher Accidentally Fires Gun During Class; Injures Student

When asked what the district is going to do to ensure this type of event doesn't happen again at their schools, McFadden said the district has safety protocols in place and practices emergency drills at each school on a
regular basis.

"We will continue to emphasize these protocols and drills with students and staff," she said.

The day after a shot rang out at their own school, Seaside High students on Wednesday participated in the walkouts that occurred nationwide over gun violence and to mark a month since the fatal mass shooting at a
school in Parkland, Florida.

"We were proactive early on and communicated to students, staff and parents and guardians that we supported student and staff voice in a safe manner on our school campuses and encouraged students to 'stand up' or 'walk in' to common areas on campus," McFadden said.

Seaside police are hosting a school safety symposium from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Seaside Middle School, located at 999 Coe Ave. When questioned about the relation of the symposium to the incident at Seaside High this week, police Cmdr. Nick Borges said that while "the timing is not what they expected," they will permit community member questions and concerns about the accidental gunfire.

Police officers will hold a public comment period for parents and community members, at which point they will answer all questions they legally can about the incident without giving away information that would infringe on the ongoing investigation.

"We planned this symposium two weeks ago thinking of the comments we were getting from community members about the shooting in Parkland," Borges said. "But we know this will be a hot topic, and we aren't shying away from it."

By Bay City News

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