Police charged a Crane 10th-grader with gunning down a classmate near the school March 7. Since then, many parents have kept their children home from the school amid fears of gang reprisals.

This morning, police and parents escorted a half-dozen students from a public-housing complex called ABLA, where the alleged shooter lived. Those students included three of Michelle Johnson’s kids. She gave them some advice.

JOHNSON: Just have faith, faith in God this morning, and just focus.

A school district official says just more than half of Crane’s 1,400 students attended today. They found more police officers and unusually rigorous weapons screening.

ambi: Screening.

Classes let out this afternoon with about a dozen police cars lined up around the school. ABLA parents say they’ll continue escorting kids to and from Crane as long as necessary.