On Monday, the Garretson School District released a notice via text message to all parents and guardians that a student had brought weapons onto school grounds. The student was subsequently taken into custody, and the district stated that at no time were any other students in danger.
The weapons were found in a vehicle after another student reported a sighting to the School Resource Officer, Jason Aanenson, who works with the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Department.
The sighting turned out to be a .22 long rifle, which was located in the front seat of the vehicle. Upon further investigation, a knife, a pellet gun, a "look-alike" toy gun, and several different types of ammunition were also found.
Due to the amount of weaponry, the student was taken into custody and the matter passed to the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Department.
The Garretson School Handbook explicitly prohibits weapons on campus, stating "The possession of firearms and dangerous weapons in school buildings, vehicles or on school premises is a Class I misdemeanor and is strictly prohibited by this policy. (This does not include law enforcement officers.) A dangerous weapon is defined as: any firearm, air gun, knife, instrument, object, destructive device, explosive material or substance, whether animate or inanimate that is calculated or designed to inflict death or serious bodily injury. This definition also includes “look-alike weapons” which are defined as any item which resembles or appears to be a weapon, including, but not limited to, squirt guns, water rifles or pistols, slingshots, toy guns, toy grenades, and other similar items."
Consequences for this action could be grave, with the handbook continuing, "Any student who brings an item fitting the above definition on to any school premises, vehicle, or building leased for any school function, activity, or event may be expelled for not less than twelve months and will be referred to law enforcement authorities. Any student who threatens to inflict death or serious bodily injury by way of written message, verbal message, telephone message, or e-mail message will be subject to the same consequences. The Superintendent shall have the authority to recommend to the school board that the expulsion requirement be modified on a case-by-case basis but may not increase the length of the period of expulsion."
In the text message released from the Garretson School District, the reporting student was commended for their effort. "We appreciate that one of our students reported to the resource officer as soon as he was aware of the weapons. It underscores the importance of the idea that if you see something, say something."
