6 Students Detained In Probe of Gunshot

Nonetheless, several students said stories circulating outside the campus about gang and criminal activity at Einstein were greatly overstated.

The school, which has about 1,550 students, offers a college-preparatory International Baccalaureate program and is a popular choice among the five high schools in the Down County Consortium. The consortium allows students in a large area of the county to pick a high school from among the five.

"This stuff doesn't normally happen at this school," said senior Lashawn Frye, 18.

Michelle Turner, the mother of four Einstein graduates, said Montgomery parents have generally opposed having metal detectors or any kind of police presence at schools. She said she doubted that yesterday's incident would change that view.

"We don't want our kids to think they will only be safe at school if there's a police presence," Turner said.

Parents posting comments on a PTSA message system wondered whether the incident signaled a rise in gang activity at the school.

"We do know that MS-13 is around here," said Christine Grewell, referring to a well-known Latino street gang. "We may have members at the school. I don't know."

Grewell, the mother of an Einstein junior, said the school did an admirable job of keeping parents up-to-date yesterday via automated telephone calls. She received four during the afternoon. She also received a text message from her daughter, who wanted to know what was going on. Students said they were told relatively little about why they were being held in their classes.

Police and school officials said that they would continue searching the school last night and that officers would be on hand this morning.