'Very disturbing': Superintendent relates incident of Rockland Woods student showing gun
A student from Rockland Woods Elementary School pulled a handgun from a book bag and showed it to other students while they were riding on a school bus Wednesday afternoon, according to Washington County Superintendent of Schools David Sovine.
The gun was not loaded and the student did not show it in a threatening way, according to Sovine and Rockland Woods Principal Scott Wildesen. The student also didn't have ammunition, Sovine said.
The bus driver confiscated the student's belongings and secured the gun, Wildesen said in a letter to Rockland Woods families. The driver then returned to the school off Sharpsburg Pike south of Hagerstown so the student could be removed from the bus, he said.
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The sheriff's office is investigating the incident, according to a post on the agency's Facebook page and a statement from Sovine released by the school system. Sgt. Carly Hose, spokesperson for the sheriff's office, confirmed the post was about the Rockland Woods incident.
The sheriff's office has the weapon, the post states.
"The Washington County Sheriff's Office takes the safety of students and school staff as a top priority. The Sheriff's Office, in cooperation with Washington County Public Schools, is in the process of conducting a thorough investigation into the incident," the post states.
"We want to remind our community to store firearms and other weapons safely and in accordance with Maryland law," the sheriff's office post states.
In a follow-up email later Thursday, Hose said she did not have additional information to release, since it is an active investigation.
WCPS shares information about incident with gun on school bus
Wildesen, the Washington County Sheriff's Office and the student's parents met with the student, Wildesen wrote in the letter to Rockland Woods families.
Sovine released a statement about the incident Wednesday evening.
"I would like to take the opportunity to share a message with all of our school families about a very serious incident that happened on one of our school buses today. While this happened at one school, I want to share this experience with everyone in our learning community. I want you to have accurate information, and I want to do all that we can to prevent this from happening again," Sovine said as he related the details of the incident.
"I am thankful to the students who reported this to the bus driver, and I appreciate the bus driver’s quick and calm action in the interest of student safety and well-being. WCPS is cooperating with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office while they investigate this matter. While we are incredibly fortunate that no one was harmed today, it is very disturbing to know that a student had a weapon in one of our schools," Sovine said.
"I feel it is my responsibility to share three key takeaways with our school families. We all must work together to keep our schools and our children safe," he said.
Sovine emphasized the following to parents:
Talk to children about the danger involved in bringing inappropriate items to school. There are significant ramifications to these decisions.
If parents see something, say something. Parents, school staff, community members — please quickly report any potential danger to law enforcement or a school administrator. Please assure your children they are making a good decision by speaking up when it comes to safety.
It is the law in Maryland to keep weapons locked and secured at all times so they don’t get into the hands of children. "I can’t stress this enough," Sovine said.
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Sovine included in his statement the letter Wildesen sent to the school community.
Wildesen said in his letter that school counselors and administrators are always available to talk with students, parents and school staff about feelings they have in regards to school safety.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: WCPS: Gun shown on school bus by Washington County elementary student
