Staff report
A loaded gun found inside a vehicle at Fair Haven Union High School on Thursday, Sept. 7 was found to not be a threat.
Superintendent Brooke Olsen-Farrell said a student borrowed the family car and was unaware there was a weapon in the back seat.
“We were able to determine pretty quickly there was no malicious intent as a result of that,” Olsen-Farrell said.
Olsen-Farrell said a parent noticed a gun in the car and notified the school resource officer around 10 a.m. She wouldn’t say if the student was being disciplined but she confirmed the school was following the firearms policy, which states a student who brings a weapon to school could be expelled for up to one year.
The policy requires the superintendent to bring the issue before the School Board for a due process hearing.
The School Board could modify the expulsion if the student was unaware they had a firearm, did not intend to use it, the student did not present an ongoing threat or if the student is disabled, according to the policy.
The incident occurred the same day the school held a pre-planned relocation drill.
“I wanted to make it really clear to parents in the community that the two had nothing to do with each other,” Olsen-Farrell said.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact the Fair Haven Police Dept. (802) 265-8293.
