CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A female Grassfield High School student was arrested Monday after bringing a loaded gun to school, according to Chesapeake police.
“It’s become all too common," parent Carlos Jasso said as he waited to pick his daughter up from the school Monday afternoon.
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School administrators found the student with the loaded gun after a fellow student saw the gun and reported it to an adult at the school, Grassfield High School Principal Brian Haughinberry said in a message to parents.
Jasso said the students at the school were the first thing on his mind when the school district notified Grassfield High families Monday about the incident.
“Concern for the children. Then, making sure that (my daughter) was good, she was checked in. She let us know she was fine," said Jasso.
The following is Haughinberry's phone message to families:
Good morning, this is Brian Haughinberry, Principal of Grassfield High School, with an important message for our parents and guardians.
Earlier this morning, a student was taken into police custody after school administrators found the student in possession of a loaded firearm. I want to assure you that at no time were any threats made to students or staff during this incident.
I want to commend the student who did the right thing by reporting this matter to a trusted adult. Today’s response is a strong example of our “see something, say something” message in action.
I also want to remind everyone that weapons of any kind are strictly prohibited on school grounds, and violations result in serious consequences. In this case, immediate disciplinary action was taken, and the incident has been referred to the Chesapeake Police Department for further investigation. Chesapeake Public Schools is committed to prosecuting anyone who jeopardizes the safety of our schools to the fullest extent of the law.
I encourage you to use this incident as an opportunity to have an open conversation with your child about what is not permitted on school property. Remind them to promptly report any safety concerns to an adult. By working together, we can ensure the continued safety and well-being of our students and staff.
The student with the gun was arrested and is facing a felony charge of possession of a firearm on school property, police said.
School officials said there were no threats made to students or staff during the incident.
Jasso said he takes school safety seriously.
“We bought her a backpack, a bulletproof one. My oldest and middle one all attended here and they all had, at their times, issues," Jasso explained.
As News 3 has reported, Chesapeake Public Schools has been testing out weapons detection systems at three schools.
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A spokesperson for the school district told News 3 Monday, Grassfield High is not one of them, meaning the school has no weapons detection system.
The spokesperson declined to say where or how the gun was found Monday, but said the situation played out the way it did because a student followed the "see something, say something" rule.
As of Monday, the name and age of the student arrested were not being released. The incident remained under investigation.
