NEWPORT NEWS — A handgun was found in a student’s backpack at Woodside High School on Wednesday, officials said.
At approximately 1 p.m., a student told a school resource officer at the high school another student possibly had a handgun in a backpack, said Michelle Price, spokeswoman for the Newport News Public Schools.
The officer told administrative staff including the school’s principal about the gun, pulled the student from class and searched the student’s backpack and found the weapon, Price said.
The student was charged with possession of a firearm on school property and underage possession of a firearm, Price said.
In addition with having multiple charges, the student was also expelled, Price said.
When asked if parents were notified about the incident, Price said the principal called parents within the hour.
Students at the city’s public schools are subject to random scans by school resources officers, Price said and the schools have a combination of handheld and walk through metal detectors.
“There was an additional police presence today at the school,” Price said.
