A student at Wellington High School is facing criminal charges after a firearm was found in their backpack on April 30, the School District of Palm Beach County reported.
The district neither identified the student nor said whether they were a minor. The county jail, which houses people who are age 18 and older, reflected no arrests by school police on April 30, online records show.
In a message to parents and school staff members, Principal Cara Gorham said a metal detector flagged a student who arrived to campus late that morning as the student went through screening.
School administrators searched the student’s backpack and found a weapon, Gorham said. School police confiscated the backpack and detained the student without incident.
Gorham said the weapon was never displayed or used in a threatening manner.
However, the student will face criminal charges and disciplinary action under the district’s code of conduct.
“Possessing any weapon on a school campus is a felony, and the School District will pursue criminal charges against any individual possessing a firearm on school grounds,” Gorham wrote.
The incident did not disrupt campus activities, and Wellington proceeded with its regular class schedule, the principal said.
Julius Whigham II covers northern Palm Beach County and public safety for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Wellington High student faces criminal charge after firearm found
Reporting by Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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