Student arrested, 2 weapons recovered in separate incidents at Magruder High School
Montgomery County student arrested after 2 weapons found
A student at Magruder High School was arrested after two weapons were found in separate incidents.
ROCKVILLE, Md. - A knife and BB gun were recovered during two separate incidents at Magruder High School Thursday, leading to the arrest of a 15-year-old student, according to Montgomery County police.
What we know:
The school was placed on hold status and was cleared about an hour later. It comes during the second week of school in the district.
The 15-year-old student was charged with first-degree assault, possession of a dangerous weapon on school property and disruption of a school day. Police said the teen fought with a staff member and school security officer when they confronted him after getting reports of a student with a gun in school.
During the investigation into that report, another student was found with a knife in his possession. Police said that the student was cooperative, and his disciplinary consequences will be handled by school administration.
Classes resumed as normal after the hold status was lifted. However, some parents opted to pick their children up and take them home.
What they're saying:
"Some kid came in and decided to bring a BB gun into school and then another kid thought it would be cool to bring a knife into school and I decided to leave school because I don't feel safe," a student told FOX 5's Bob Barnard.
"It's very dangerous," one parent said. "I feel like it's dangerous. I don’t feel like it’s safe for kids to come to school and have to deal with that because he has to come to school to get an education."
School safety
Dig deeper:
AI threat detection systems are no longer used at Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), district officials said.
A Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputy serves as the full-time community engagement officer for Magruder.
Across the region, only D.C., Fairfax and Prince George’s County public schools have metal detectors, x-ray machines or walk-through weapons detection systems at all of their high schools and some middle schools.
Safety experts say you need more than smart technology to keep students and staff safe.
"What is extremely important, no matter how much tech you have, is the training and the ability to respond confidently and quickly," said school safety expert Joe LaSorsa. "And that's where they see something, say something comes into play. And the measures from the school to give that training, because that's what it comes down to, is the confidence and response."
Magruder was the scene of a school shooting in 2022 where one teen was shot and wounded in a school bathroom.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Montgomery County Police Dept.