In the aftermath of the weapons threat that shook the Bristol Township School District Thursday morning, administrators issued a letter to parents of middle schoolers.
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The letter shed new light on the incident that locked down both the district’s middle schools – Neil A. Armstrong on Wister Road and Franklin D. Roosevelt on Veterans Highway (Route 413) – and led to police flooding both campuses. Officers searched the Armstrong campus and eventually questioned a student.
The incident ended up being a mix up. The possible weapon on the Armstrong campus turned out to be a video game controller that was mistaken for a gun.
Below is the letter school officials have sent to parents:
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Dear Middle School Families:
We wanted to take this moment to share with you an update on the two situations that transpired at our middle schools today.
This morning at a bus stop, one of our students was approached by an adult with questions about his Chromebook. When the student refused to engage with the adult, this individual contacted the police to report that the student was carrying a gun. While the 911 call was in progress, the student entered his school bus and began his trip to school, which ultimately took him to his middle school – Armstrong – for his first class, which happened to be scheduled outdoors.
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Two distinct incidents occurred from that point on, which impacted both of our middle schools:
1. The bus number of the student was inaccurately reported as a bus heading to FDR Middle School. As a result, police arrived at FDR and the school went into lockdown.
2. When it was determined that the bus had actually dropped the student off at Armstrong, a heavy police presence arrived and Armstrong went into lockdown. Police then determined that the student in question was actually carrying an XBox controller, not a weapon. Students were released from lockdown. Unfortunately, since the student (who was determined to be innocent) was outdoors for class during the interaction, much of it was captured by helicopter news crews.
Credit: Brittiany Tonner-Beck
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Understandably, the timing of these incidents, two days after the tragedy in Texas, has created added stress for our students and families. Both of our middle schools will have counselors available today and through the remainder of the week for students who need additional support. In addition, stepped up safety measures are in place during this tense time.
Thank you for collaborating with BTSD to support the safety of our students today and every day. We are grateful all of our students are safe.
Sincerely,
Superintendent, Melanie Gehrens, FDR Principal, Kevin Boles & Armstrong Principal, Ed Dayton
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