WHITESBORO, N.Y. -- The Whitesboro School District is notifying parents of an incident Monday where an unloaded BB gun was found in a middle school locker.
District Superintendent Dave Langone says Parkway Middle School was locked down for about ten minutes Monday morning, after students reported that a classmate was in possession of an object resembling a gun handle. A search uncovered the unloaded BB Gun. Whitesboro officials say the incident appears to have been isolated and school staff acted swiftly.
They say some parents were concerned that they weren't notified about the incident before students got home for the day. The district issued an apology, but said parents weren't immediately notified due to the nature of the incident and the need to fully investigate.
Here is the full statement Whitesboro Superintendent Dave Langone:
March 3, 2015 (Whitesboro, N.Y.) – Late Monday morning, March 2, students notified staff at the Parkway Middle School Building that a classmate was in possession of an object that resembled a gun handle. After implementing a building lockdown, which lasted ten minutes, school personnel immediately found an unloaded BB gun in a school locker. The unloaded BB gun was safely confiscated.
The incident appears to be isolated in nature and it is important to stress that no one was injured and that school personnel acted swiftly and appropriately.
Due to the need to fully investigate, parents were not immediately notified about the incident. Our intention was to send a letter home communicating the details of the investigation with all students, but by the time they were fully known, dismissal had already occurred.
We understand parents’ concerns regarding immediate notification of such incidents and apologize that parents were not informed of the incident from the school district first. The school district does not take a situation like this one lightly and will review its notification procedures, including the use of robo-call or robo-email. Again, it is important to stress that safety protocols in place did work and that school personnel responded both effectively and appropriately. It is also important to note that our students were responsible and vigilant by reporting this incident to school personnel. This type of communication is imperative. If your child is experiencing any concerns about this incident, please encourage him/her to speak to a teacher, counselor or school administration.
The investigation is ongoing and the school district will take appropriate action once the investigation is complete.
Please direct all questions on this matter to Whitesboro Central School District Superintendent Dave Langone by calling 266-3303.