Two guns found on middle school campus(Photo: Roger Weeder)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two guns, two students and one school had Duval County Schools busy on Thursday and responding on Friday with a letter to all parents in the district about zero tolerance and the role of parents and students in school safety.
Two 14 -year-olds were arrested at J.E.B. Stuart Middle for possession of a firearm. In one case it was a 38 special and the other a 22 caliber pistol. One student, according to reports, was carrying the weapon in class and when removed from the classroom the gun fell to floor during the search.The teens also told investigators they had swapped weapons and had previous run ins with the law being arrested for burglary.
Related: Teens charged with bringing loaded guns to school
Superintendent Nikolai Vitti sent home a letter with parents spelling out what the district is doing to ensure the safety of students. He also noted the role of parents and students to promote awareness:
Superintendent Letter to Parents
“What is happening differently in our schools is we know about it (guns) because students are coming forward,” said Vitti pointing out that is what happened Thursday when students alerted adults about a student having a gun.
District policy for infractions like bringing a gun to school include expulsion or an alternative school. That decision is made by the school board during a closed hearing with the parent of the student part of the process.
“Nine out of ten times we have a parent that is not actively engaged in their child’s life,” said Vitti speaking about expulsion hearings and the involvement of those parents.
Vitti says this school year there have been seven incidents of guns being found on campus.
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