Police respond after 5-year-old Bald Eagle Area student falsely claims he has a pistol
A 5-year-old student from Bald Eagle Area claimed on Monday’s bus ride home that he had a pistol in his backpack, causing school officials and state police to respond before learning it was a false alarm.
The boy’s backpack was filled only with toys — no weapons or toy weapons — after a school official’s search, according to the district.
“This situation turned out well but we will be reviewing what happened and looking what, if any, changes need to be made with our safety procedures moving forward,” BEA Superintendent Scott Graham said in a public Facebook post. “At no time did the student threaten anyone and based on my conversation with Mr. (Jack) Tobias, I don’t think the student understood the seriousness of the situation due to being so young.”
Bus 11 was pulled over near Unionville, while Principal Jack Tobias and School Safety and Prevention Coordinator John Peters both headed there, per police and the social media post. According to state police trooper Christopher Fox, the situation was already defused by the time police arrived.
According to the public Facebook post, Graham received a call alerting him to the situation at about 3:45 p.m. Monday, after the 5-year-old told the bus driver he had a pistol in his backpack. It was not immediately clear how many other students were on the bus at the time of the incident, whether students were ordered off the bus or if the boy might face any kind of punishment by the district.
Graham declined to comment further to the CDT on Tuesday, adding he would “not comment on student disciplinary issues.”
This story was originally published September 28, 2021 at 11:59 AM.
