Three youths toting BB guns near the Village Elementary School in Gorham caused a scare last Thursday, but they weren’t on school property and won’t face disciplinary action.
“They did not violate school policy and were not on school grounds ,nor did they have any intent of being on school grounds,” Gorham School Superintendent Ted Sharp said Tuesday.
Village Elementary School, 12 Robie St., was locked down about 3:15 p.m. Thursday after a school bus driver at dismissal time spotted three juveniles with what appeared to be a rifle. All students, teachers and staff were held inside the building. The departure of schools buses was delayed about 30 minutes before police secured the scene, according to Brian Porter, principal at the school.
Gorham police detained three Gorham High School students, two 16-year olds and one 15-year old, who were later released to their parents. Gorham Police Chief Ron Shepard said Friday the case would be turned over to state juvenile authorities for review.
Sharp said John Drisko, principal of the high school, met with the three students to discuss “their poor judgment about being close to a school.” But Sharp said the three weren’t disciplined since they did not violate any school policy or rules.
“We believe this was just a case of not thinking very clearly about where they were,” Sharp said.
Porter said bus drivers reported the incident to the school district’s transportation department, which called Gorham police. Porter said police instructed him to keep all students and staff in the school.
Last week, Porter said, based on a bus driver account, one of the three passing through the property into a wooded area had “pulled out” a gun. When asked this week if any of the three had carried a BB gun across school property before entering the woods, Sharp replied “not to our knowledge.”
A police report said that the three teenagers “carrying some sort of rifles” had entered the woods near the parking lot of the school. According to police, one of the bus drivers recognized one of the three students who had gone into the woods. Police contacted a parent, who called a child on a cell phone. Police said the three complied after being told to leave their guns and exit the woods.
It turned out to be a “low key incident,” Porter said.
Porter said students and staff weren’t threatened. He described holding the students inside as a precaution. “Their welfare is our utmost concern,” Porter said
Porter said the school received 10 calls from concerned parents late Thursday afternoon. Porter sent a letter Friday to parents.
“We understand that this may have caused some concern on the part of you and your child, but please know that at no time were the students or staff of Village School in imminent danger,” Porter wrote. “All staff and students acted in accordance with police requests. The process went quite smoothly and was resolved quickly.”
Village Elementary School is Grades 3, 4 and 5. School is in session 9 a.m. -3 p.m. High school lets out at 2 p.m.
Jim Hager, chairman of the school committee, said Gorham School Department has a “far-reaching” policy about violence and prohibiting weapons on school property. “Weapons are absolutely not allowed on school property,” Hager said.
Sharp said that no policy change is contemplated following the incident. He said school administrators at Village responded appropriately when notified that the boys were in the area.
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