About half of the student body returned to Joppatowne High School on Thursday, with a shortened school day and increased security measures, following a fatal shooting there on Sept. 6.

Principal Melissa Williams said in a video message Wednesday that staff had been “diligently preparing to come back” after 15-year-old student Warren Curtis Grant was shot inside the school last week.

Michelle Barkley, whose daughter is a sophomore at Joppatowne High, said her family lives down the road from Grant and that her daughter has been his classmate since they were both middle schoolers.

“It is hard to see her have her moments with going back to school and her being triggered by it,” Barkley said. “You know someone since you’re 12, and then you watch them fight for their life and then they are gone. It is triggering for her and she has to relive that every day.”

On Thursday, students carried small bags on their hips and over their shoulders as they left school around 11 a.m. Until the arrival of new lockers by next week, students are prohibited from bringing bookbags and large purses to school. Those who do will be stopped and searched, with the bags confiscated until a parent or guardian can pick them up.

Barkley said the increased measures are a good first step, but she would like to see additional security.

“I truly believe metal detectors are needed and that students should be required to use clear backpacks,” Barkley said. “I think that would be a great measure for ensuring safety in the school.”

Barkley explained that she is from Dayton, Ohio, where she said public schools have metal detectors. She called the measure “a normal safety precaution” because things “are not like the old days.”

“Unfortunately, kids nowadays have access to certain things and think that it is best to hurt someone,” Barkley said. “It shouldn’t have to come to someone losing their life for these measures to be taken.”

Barkley is not alone in this position.

Marcus Cluster, Joppatowne High parent, started a petition earlier this week advocating for clear backpacks and metal detectors in schools. The petition has more than 4,000 signatures, and scores of comments, from both students and parents as of Thursday afternoon.

“Keep our children safe,” wrote Tamara Crowder on the petition website. “They are scared to go back to school and parents are afraid to let them go back without stricter safety measures.”

After the shooting, some county leaders called for legislative discussions on school security, including the possible addition of metal detectors.

Back at Joppatowne High, half-empty buses departed late Thursday morning at the end of a half day of school for grades 10 and 12. All grades will attend on Friday, and will again dismiss three hours early.

Teachers have planned flexible lessons that allow for different student needs. “We want our students to be able to process and decompress throughout the day,” while allowing students who are ready, to get back to their studies, teacher Erica Richardson said in the video.

The school plans to return to its regular school hours on Monday.

Additional personnel from Harford County Public Schools and the county sheriff’s office were on campus for the return, according to the principal’s announcement. While officers will be identifiable in their uniforms, the additional school district staff are wearing orange vests as they assist in the halls, cafeteria and classrooms.

A group of students leaving the school campus Thursday said their small bags were searched upon arrival, but handheld metal detectors were not used. The students declined to be directly quoted or identified.

After the new lockers are installed, ensuring that every student has one, the larger bags must be stored in lockers upon arrival. Those who do not adhere to the new guidelines will be subject to searches and disciplinary actions.

Grant died in a hospital Friday afternoon after being shot during a dispute in a first-story bathroom at the school. At a Sunday vigil, friends remembered him as a helping hand with an infectious smile.

Visitations for Grant are scheduled for Sept. 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at Abingdon-McComas Family Funeral Homes. His funeral will be on Sept. 20 starting at 11 a.m. at Mountain Christian Church in Joppa. A visitation will precede this service starting at 10:30 a.m.

Another student, 16-year-old Jaylen Prince, is being charged as an adult in Grant’s death.

Specifically, he is charged with first- and second-degree murder, first and second-degree assault, use of a firearm and other charges. A Harford County Circuit Court Judge ordered that Prince remain held without bond.

“We are all grieving,” Richardson said in the video. “But by coming together as a community, we can grieve together and support one another.”