A student has been arrested after a firearm was discovered on the campus of Highlands Middle School, according to a message sent by the school principal to parents
Principal Jessica Guthrie notified parents via voice message about the incident on Wednesday. The recorded message stated:
Good afternoon parents and guardians,
This is your principal calling. We are a school community, and I believe it is important to share with you any matters that might affect the safety of our student’s learning environment. Therefore, I wanted to let you know that a firearm was discovered on our campus today, and a student was arrested in connection with this discovery.
There was no harm to any students or staff and our school remained safe during this time. But this is a very serious situation, and we are working fully with law enforcement as they investigate this matter...
The message goes on to read that the firearm was discovered near the football field after one of the school staff members noticed concerning behavior among two students in that area.
According to the school, due to a staff member’s vigilance, they were able to quickly intervene. The firearm was confiscated and the school was placed on a Code Yellow as a precaution while they worked with law enforcement to investigate.
The school says that the student has been taken into custody and arrested.
11 weapons and three firearms have been found on campuses in Duval County this school year, 2018-19.
The three firearms refer to firearms incidents that were investigated by school police:
- Raines – 10/08/18
- A. Philip Randolph – 2/12/19
- Highlands Middle School – 2/27/19