A New Hampton Middle School student was arrested on Tuesday after police responded to a 911 call about a gun at the school.
The 14-year-old student, who reportedly had a handgun-type of BB gun, was arrested without incident, according to the New Hampton Police Department. The student’s name is not being released.
New Hampton Superintendent Stephen Nicholson said three students went to Middle School Principal Donita Sweitzer Tuesday afternoon to report a student with a gun.
“Donita immediately called 911 and got the police involved,” said Nicholson. “We just kept it low so we could go to the student very subtly without raising any alarms.”
According to New Hampton Police Chief Mike Anderson, the student was called into the hallway, where she turned over the BB gun to law enforcement. Nicholson said the student told Sweitzer that she had no plans of using the gun.
The superintendent said the school took the potential threat very seriously.
“By having (the gun) in the school there was a threat, but once we found out it was in school, we checked it out and confiscated it ... once we confiscated it, the threat was gone immediately,” he explained.
School administration met with the staff in each school building on Wednesday to “try to cut that rumor mill down.” Nicholson said school staff also addressed the issue with students.
The superintendent was in an elementary class when the teacher explained the situation to students.“They emphasized how important it is to be safe and how important it is to go to an adult if they see or hear something wrong,” he recalled.
The school district recently went through a review process and received safety recommendation from a representative with Homeland Security.
“Anytime you get that information, it’s kind of like CPR, you get it hoping you never have to use it,” Nicholson said.
He said he hopes the one thing students will take away from the situation is understanding the importance of talking to an adult if they hear or see something that could be dangerous. Students could do so with a note, anonymously or in many other ways, he added.
“Absolutely, without any question whatsoever, the No. 1 priority is and always will be the safety of our students and the people in the school. We will do anything and everything to ensure that safety,” he said.
Anderson said he felt like the school handle the situation well, and added that he was impressed the students brought their concerns to the principal.
The student involved in the incident has been referred to Juvenile Court Services and charged with second-degree harassment. She was released to the custody of a parent Tuesday.
The charge occurs when a person commits harassment involving a threat to commit bodily injury, or commits harassment and has previously been convicted of harassment two times under this section of law or any similar statute during the preceding 10 years.
The maximum sentence for the serious misdemeanor is one year in jail or up to a $1,000 fine.
According to the the New Hampton Police Department, the investigation is continuing.