Schools

Updated: Gun Found in Student Locker at Robinson Secondary School

Fairfax County Public Schools and police are still investigating.

Update 10:20 a.m.

According to John Torre, spokesman for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), students at Robinson Secondary School were not in danger following the discovery of a gun at the school on Wednesday.

"There was no disruption to the school day and no one was in any imminent danger although, as the KIT stated, we recognize the danger associated with any weapon in the school and a weapons violation will result in disciplinary action," said Torre.

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FCPS offered no further comment as they do not discuss student discipline issues.

Lucy Caldwell, public information officer with the Fairfax County Police Department, also confirmed the information included in the KIT, but could not discuss the incident further because the investigation is ongong.

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"Police are aware of the situation and we're working with school officials to address the incident," said Lucy Caldwell, public information officer with the Fairfax County Police Department.

 

Details about the discovery of the gun are still unknown. Under the "Search and seizure" section of the SRR handbook, FCPS may search "any desk, locker, storage space, item of personal belonging, electronic device, and/or vehicle parked on school property or at a school-sponsored activity may be inspected on an individual basis when reasonable grounds exist to suspect that it contains evidence of a violation of a school regulation or of unlawful activity (such as illegal drugs, weapons, stolen property, and other contraband), provided that the search is conducted primarily for the purpose of enforcing order and discipline in the school or at the school-sponsored activity and
not for criminal prosecution."

Regarding disciplinary action, the SRR states that a student found with a weapons violations on school property will get a "mandatory ten day suspension with a recommendation for expulsion for a period of not less than one year".

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Original post 4:50 p.m. Wednesday

A gun was confiscated from a student's locker at Robinson Secondary School Wednesday.

According to a message from the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Keep in Touch (KIT) message system, which notified parents of the incident, the students involved have been identified and questioned and there was no danger to students at school on Wednesday.

It is unclear why the student(s) brought the gun to school or what prompted the search by school administrators.

The incident is currently under investigation by Fairfax County police and school officials, according to the KIT.

The KIT email, sent out by Principal Dan Meier, read:

Dear Parents & Guardians,
 
I wanted to alert you to an incident that occurred today at Robinson.  School administrators confiscated a gun inside a student’s locker. Fairfax Police were notified immediately and criminal and administrative investigations are underway.  The students involved have been identified and questioned.  Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken in response to this very serious event. We recognize the danger associated with any weapon in the school. While we regard this as an isolated incident, please know that any violations that jeopardize the safety of students at Robinson will result in severe consequences as outlined in the Student Rights & Responsibilities document. I encourage you to engage your children in discussions about how to deal with similar situations in the future. The adults responsible for keeping students safe can do their jobs more effectively, if students are willing to report problems. We will continue to monitor this situation to ensure the safety of students. 
 
We are very appreciative of the quick response to this incident by our students, staff and School Resource Officers.  We take pride in providing a very safe environment at Robinson and we will vigilantly do all in our power to take care of every one of our students and staff members. If you have any additional questions, feel free to call the school office.

Calls to FCPS and Fairfax County Public Schools were not returned at the time of publication.

Patch will update this story with additional information as it is received.

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