It wasn’t a good week for the reputation of King’s Fork High School, as the school grappled with a student who brought a gun to school on Tuesday and then a series of fights that broke out on Thursday.

Onlookers might be tempted to say the problem is in the school. But they should realize the school is only a microcosm of what is going on in the larger community. The public school system must educate the students that come to it, along with all of the baggage they bring from their families, their communities and society at large.

That baggage can range from lack of opportunities as a youngster that put them academically behind their peers, to the influence of drug and gang violence in their neighborhoods, to the television shows that glamorize the lives of do-nothing celebrities. The list could go on and on.

Teachers and administrators are working hard to overcome all of that baggage and turn out well-rounded, productive citizens. Unfortunately, oftentimes it can seem like it’s one step forward, two steps back.

But despite the multi-faceted challenges in doing so, providing a safe environment is, arguably, the most important thing Suffolk Public Schools does — even more important than quality instruction. Academic rigor means little if students can’t attend school because they are sickened by mold (a common problem in older buildings), can’t learn because they are distracted by fights or — God forbid — have been injured or killed in a shooting.

Of course, the students who caused trouble at King’s Fork High School this week are a small percentage of the number that attend the school. As Principal Dr. Ronald Leigh wrote in a letter to parents, “99 percent of our students do not get involved in the types of incidents we’ve had this week.”

Indeed, the vast majority of Bulldog students come to school every day to gain an education that they will soon carry into college, careers, military service, family life and service to their community, and we appreciate that they are keeping their noses clean and doing what they are supposed to do. However, all of the students at the school were affected by the gun incident, the violent fights and their aftermath.

Suffolk Public Schools should immediately review options to increase security at its high school buildings, such as more random checks during the school day with the metal detectors the schools already have available and more law enforcement involvement during the school day.

The division should also take another look at its permissive cellphone policy. By all accounts, the videos of the fights that spread throughout the school within moments on Thursday only added fuel to the fire.

Lastly, the division should review the advisability of having students who are already convicted felons or who have instigated violence such as that seen last week back into their home schools, whether the violence leads to serious injury or not.

The lives and safety of 14,000 minors depends on it.