A New Philadelphia student was taken into custody by police Thursday afternoon after a gun was located in their backpack.
New Philadelphia Schools Superintendent Amy Wentworth said the district received a report of a “potential safety threat” at the middle school and the threat was immediately investigated.
“A gun was found in a student’s backpack,” Wentworth said. “New Philadelphia Police were notified and the student was taken into custody.”
Wentworth noted that the police department responded promptly to the school.
“We are grateful for the quick action of all persons involved, New Philadelphia City Schools leadership, New Philadelphia Police Department and the student reporting the incident,” she said.
It’s was not made clear what the threat was, but Wentworth said there was no known “verbal, written or physical threat toward any student or staff member.”
“While this is a small comfort, it did not and does not impact the seriousness with how we are handling this incident,” she said. Wentworth added the district will continue working with law enforcement to investigate the situation.
“Our schools are filled with people who care deeply for our students and everyday they are doing all that they can to watch out for them and to keep them safe,” Wentworth said. “We have rigorous safety protocols in place, our school administration routinely conducts roundtable exercises to prepare for unexpected situations at school, students and staff regularly practice school safety drills, and the district maintains open lines of communication with our first responders.”