Administrators in the Warren County R-III School District responded to a report concerning a student possessing a weapon last Friday.Weapons are prohibited not only in school buildings but also on campus property in general, including parking lots.Around 10:15 a.m., a student at Warrenton High School told staff a handgun was in another student’s backpack.Administrators notified the student resource officer and the student in question was removed from class and the bag was searched. The weapon, a CO2-powered BB gun, was confiscated along with a bag of BBs and CO2 cartridges.The school moved quickly to issue an email statement to parents informing them of the situation. The student was detained and the investigation was handled by the local authorities, according to Principal Dr. Lorraine Raziq.“The safety of our students is a top priority in our district,” expressed Raziq.Assistant Superintendent Dr. Aaron Jones says disciplinary action will be handled per board policy, with collaboration between central office and building administration.“We want the school to be as safe as possible, and we have some instances where kids have hurt other kids with items such as these,” said Jones. “Even if the student brings it, and they don’t plan on doing anything wrong with it, if somebody else finds out about it, and they get into their stuff and do something wrong with it, we are at risk.”Jones says the district has gone to great lengths to protect students, especially in light of recent school violence. Last fall each school had new security vestibules installed, with a three-level entry system at the high school.“We can put so many safety barriers in place, but in this case, it was already in the building,” said Jones. “It made it through every safety precaution we have.”Jones says the most important line of defense is student awareness and responsiveness.“It all comes down to students being willing to report anything they perceive as potentially dangerous,” said Jones.He encourages students to use good judgment when determining what to bring onto school property, regardless of their intentions.Warren County R-III School District logo