Acting on a tip from a student, school officials confiscated the guns - a BB gun and a .25 caliber pistol - on the morning of Feb. 6. School officials said they delayed the release of information to prevent compromising investigations by the school and police.

Alerted by rumors circulating in town, some parents called or visited the school, but learned nothing of the morning's events. Other parents apparently first heard about the presence of weapons on school premises when they opened the Fulton Sun newspaper the next morning.

"That is not adequate," said Jeffrey Stone, parent of a sixth-grader at the school and one of dozens who turned out at the Fulton Schools Board of Education meeting Wednesday to voice their concerns. "More information could have been shared without compromising the investigation."

Stone added that he called the school at 12:30 p.m. and visited the school office at 4 p.m. only to be told "the situation had been taken care of."

After listening to parents' concerns, School Superintendent Mark Enderle said, "That was my mistake. I do wish on Wednesday that we had sent something home with the parents."

"We had a loaded gun in the middle school. That's the problem, he added. "Hopefully, we can learn from that."

Eighth-grader Caley Brown prompted the investigation when she overheard some kids in a hallway talking about having a gun. She ducked into a bathroom and called her mom.

"I wanted to let my mom know because I was really scared," Caley said. "I was afraid to tell the administration because I thought they had it under control."

Cayley's mother, Cindy Clark, was the first to speak at the meeting Wednesday.

"We cannot let this happen again," Clark said. "It's time we get into 2008 where drugs, alcohol and guns are a part of life."

She suggested the purchase of metal detectors, going so far as to quote prices for the walk-through type and the handheld variety, noting that "it's cheaper in bulk."

Board President Rick Gohring listened patiently to each parent, but declined to commit the board to any specific action. He said the board planned to discuss the situation further. The board would seek public comment on any course of action it eventually chooses to take.

"This is not something we can react to in the heat of the moment," Gohring said. "What type of message do [metal detectors] give to our children? Please remember that the people on this board have children in school, too."

Board member Dennis Depping added, "To stop this in the future is going to take more work outside the school."

The same morning the guns were found at the school a broken light fixture started a fire in the gymnasium. Parents were alerted almost immediately through the school's standard procedure of using an automated system to make phone calls and send text messages.

Superintendent Enderle said this is the first time guns have been found on the middle school campus in at least 10 years. Police investigations are ongoing, and it still is unclear if the students who brought the weapons to school intended to harm anyone. 

According to school policy, each student faces a minimum of a 365-day suspension. School spokesperson Kathy Wright said "it could be extended beyond that."

The board meets next at 7 p.m. March 12 in the Fulton High School library.