CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Parents in Clayton County are concerned after a pellet gun was confiscated from students at Riverdale Middle School. According to district officials, the incident took place on Wednesday, Aug. 4. Two students were involved in a play fight and one pulled out a gun at one point.
The incident occurred in the bus lane prior to school starting and district officials said no one was harmed.
Ashley Wright, whose son attends another middle school in the district, said she's still on edge after hearing about the incident.
"I'm speechless because it's just the second day of school and someone's already bringing something like that in school. So that makes me concerned," Wright said.
Wright added that she's already concerned about her son's safety and believes the district could do more.
Superintendent Morcease Beasley previously announced that clear bookbags were part of a larger strategy to keep students safe. In June, he announced body scanners would be in place in all Clayton County Middle Schools by September.
Wright said this isn't enough for her.
"I'll believe it when I see it. You know, people talk a lot," she said.
A statement from the Clayton County School district read as follows:
Clayton County Public Schools is aware of a matter in which students were involved in a “play fight” prior to the start of school on Thursday, August 4th. During this event, one of the students produced a pellet gun and the students continued to play utilizing this item. While we are disappointed in this decision to bring inappropriate items to one of our campuses, we are glad to report no one was injured as safety and security remains a top priority through the implementation of our district’s safety plans and practices.
School administrators will follow the appropriate recourse for handling this matter in alignment with the Clayton County Public Schools Student Handbook and Code of Conduct. As this matter is currently being investigated, no additional statements will be provided. We do ask parents to assist the district in expressing the high importance of students not bringing inappropriate items to school as safety is the responsibility of all.
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