Firearm confiscated

A Jay School Corporation student was detained by law enforcement Friday after being found in possession of a firearm.

In a press release Friday afternoon, the school corporation said the student was found in possession of a firearm on school property in the Alternate Placement Program housed at General Shanks in Portland. The incident occurred late Friday morning.

Jay Schools superintendent Jeremy Gulley confirmed to The Commercial Review later Friday that the firearm that was found was a handgun.

A search led to the discovery of the firearm, the release says. The search was conducted by school resource officer Cody Jessee, Gulley added.

“The situation was swiftly addressed by school administration and the School Resource Officer,” the release says. Gulley added Friday evening that he did not have full details on what led to the search but that he believed staff of the Alternate Placement Program had reason for suspicion.

The release also says there was no immediate threat to students or staff. Gulley elaborated later, saying he felt there was no need for a lockdown Friday because the firearm had been secured by law enforcement.

“The security process worked,” he said.

The Alternate Placement Program is an alternative to out-of-school suspension for students and is housed in the north wing of the former elementary school building, 414 Floral Ave., Portland.

The corporation’s administrative offices are in the west wing and some of its preschool program is housed in the south wing. All three wings are separated and do not have direct access to each other.

“We understand the concern this may cause among parents and guardians,” the school corporation said in the release. “We will take all necessary actions to secure our schools and protect our students and staff.”

Friday evening, Gulley said he plans to “press pause” on the Alternate Placement Program until security procedures can be reviewed. That will mean that there will be no new students assigned to the program for a period of time, with those students instead serving out-of-school suspensions.

Students who are already in the Alternate Placement Program will still report to it Monday. Gulley said Jessee will be on hand to ensure a secure environment.

He added that he will continue to evaluate the situation in the coming days in regard to any changes to security protocols.

“We do review all security incidences for lessons learned and will adjust security decisions based on facts and information,” he said.

The school corporation, in the release, also asked that all those in the community ensure that their firearms are secure. Gulley later acknowledged that the handgun that was confiscated was a firearm owned by someone other than the student and that it had been left unsecured for the student to gain access to it.

“You’ve got to help us on securing your weapons,” he reiterated.