CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - Parents and students have safety concerns and are calling for more transparency from the Unit 4 school district after a recent shots fired situation unfolded.

"It's very heartbreaking, it's unsafe," one mother told WAND News after she heard about the shots fired incident  near Centennial High School and Jefferson Middle School in Champaign. 

James Dilworth said he's worried for his daughter, a senior at Centennial High School.

"I'm really concerned about my daughter('s) safety within the school, the shootings, the area and the situations that (are) going on," Dilworth said.

Students said it was confusion and chaos as they heard the shots ring out during their lunch period. 

"It's very scary because you don't know what's going to happen. Nobody knew what was going on," said Jessa Kimble, a Centennial High School senior. 

Jovic Ngoie is a Junior at the Centennial High School who said he was walking from lunch when he heard the shots.

"We were walking to school from lunch. When we heard them from back there, (we) ran as fast we could to get into building," he said. 

"I'm nervous. I don't know if my child got shot, I don't know if one of our friends got shot. I'm at work, I get a text message saying 'it's a shooting at Centennial.' What do you mean there's a shooting at Centennial? Now I have to rush from work to try to make it here," Dilworth said. 

Another mother, Willy Ann-Hoff, said the kids are "not concentrating in school" because of the incident. Leslie Kimble, Jessa Kimble's mom, said the situation was worse for her because of the lack of communication from the school district.

"Ultimately, I feel like we're the last to know any details and there's a lack of transparency. It's disappointing when the students are finding out things before teachers," Ann-Hoff said. 

Kimble told WAND News that she wishes there was a system to alert students, staff and families when situations like these arise.

"We should have some sort of alert system that administration can be alerting teachers on their phones ... then they can have a notification for students and parents," Kimble said. 

Although parents said their concerns are rising, so has their desire to come together. Dilworth said he believes those engaging in gun violence start because of their home life.

"One thing that we need to all do is come together as a community, and stand strong. It's just the community thing that we have to enforce in our homes," he said. 

Kimble said she wants this experience to help the district know how to navigate future ones.

"(I'm) hopeful that we could learn from these experiences, and do better because we really can do better. I honestly think that," she said.Â