A rumor of a student bringing a gun to school prompted a soft lockdown of Lafayette High School on Monday.
A soft lockdown means students remain in their classrooms until given the all clear.
Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools Spokesperson Betsy Overkamp-Smith said the rumor that a weapon was on the premises was related to incidents that occurred last week at the school. School administrators, the school resource officer and security staff investigated but found no weapon.
Maj. Stephen Rubino of the James City County Police Department said warrants are pending against a 14-year-old female student who allegedly assaulted a security guard at the school last week when the guard attempted to intervene in a dispute between her and another student.
He said the rumor involved one of the students bringing a gun to school in retaliation for that incident. Nobody was hurt.
The lockdown lasted from 12:05 to 1:20 p.m., Overkamp-Smith said. The school day resumed as normal following the lifting of the lockdown. The incident delayed class changes and third lunch. She said school staff will be in the hallways for the remainder of the school day, which ends at 2:20 p.m.
Any student or parent with information related to the incident is asked to contact the school.
The following message went out to parents:
Today at Lafayette High School, a rumor was spread about incidents between students that occurred last week and a student possibly bringing a weapon to school. School administration, the School Resource Officer and security staff investigated the rumors, and no weapon was found. During the investigation, students remained in their classrooms, delaying class changes and third lunch.
During this incident, the school focused on student safety and acted with an abundance of caution. LHS staff acted promptly and appropriately, and law enforcement assisted the school with the investigation.
