False rumor scrambles police to State High grounds
More than a dozen police officers rushed Wednesday to State College Area High School after a faulty rumor suggesting a gun appeared on school grounds.
State College and Ferguson Township police found no firearms, and the school district reported all students and employees were safe following a 10-minute lockdown that started at 12:34 p.m.
The confusion stemmed from a bullet — not a gun — that a student brought to the Westerly Parkway school and showed to classmates, according to State College police and district officials. The student found the ammunition in his home, State College police Chief John Gardner told reporters at the Panorama Village Administrative Center.
School resource Officer John Aston quickly handled that incident, but false word about a gun soon circulated among students and their parents. A parent called 911 to say a student had a firearm inside the school, the district said.
Nineteen officers responded as principals placed the school of about 2,300 students into lockdown. The move kept students in place with faculty — and “nobody was allowed to move throughout the building” — as police and administrators investigated, the district said.
“As with any incident, we will reflect on our protocol and training to make sure we are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our students and our entire school community,” the district said in a statement.
The district posted an alert on its website Wednesday afternoon and sent a message to parents after receiving “a large number of phone calls” that school officials couldn’t handle, O’Donnell said.
“I think this matter was thoroughly investigated,” Gardner said. “I can’t say enough about the school’s staff, the administrators and the police who acted according to their training.”
O’Donnell said possession of ammunition is a violation of the district’s weapon policy, and the student may face disciplinary action. Gardner said the student could face charges, pending additional investigation.
Gardner also said the incident highlights the importance of the phrase “If you see something, say something.”
“In this day and age, when you hear somebody (has) a gun — in any social setting — but in particular a school, I’m not going sit here and say it was an overreaction,” Gardner said. “Better safe than sorry. We’re going to continue to respond like that every time we hear something like that.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2019 at 1:15 PM.