Charges filed; program moving

Charges have been filed against a juvenile who was allegedly caught with a handgun on school property last week.

A school program will be shifting locations following the incident.

Jay County prosecutor Wes Schemenaur said Tuesday that charges have been filed against a juvenile after the incident Friday in Jay School Corporation’s Alternate Placement Program at General Shanks in Portland.

The juvenile faces charges of theft of a firearm and possession of a firearm on school property. Those charges would be a Level 5 and Level 6 felony, respectively, if they were committed by an adult, Schemenaur said.

Because the individual who is charged is a juvenile, their name will not be released. The student involved is in “secure detention” until the case’s next hearing, which is scheduled for March 15.

Meanwhile, the Alternate Placement Program which has been housed at General Shanks will be moved to John Jay Center for Learning next week. Superintendent Jeremy Gulley informed The Commercial Review of the change Tuesday.

A re-evaluation of the program and school security overall was launched after a student was allegedly found in possession of a firearm Friday on school property in the program housed in the north wing of General Shanks, 414 Floral, Ave., Portland. By Friday evening, Gulley had announced that he would “press pause” on the program — it is an alternative to out-of-school suspensions and for students who prefer a quieter space with fewer distractions — until further notice. (General Shanks also houses the school corporation’s administrative offices in its west wing and preschool students in its south wing.)

Gulley said he surveyed parents of preschool students in the building and that their main request was to consider moving the Alternate Placement Program to a different building. He subsequently reached out to ask if John Jay Center for Learning would have space available. (The program was previously housed in the facility at 101 S. Meridian St., Portland, but was moved because of a lack of available space.)

The Alternate Placement Program will remain paused — there will be no new students, but those who were already in the program will remain — until Monday when it moves to John Jay. Other security measures that will be implemented for the Alternate Placement Program include not allowing backpacks or personal Chromebooks. (Chromebooks will be provided to students at John Jay.) Students will have to consent to searches to be a part of the program.

Gulley also acknowledged that metal detectors were set up at three entry points to Jay County Junior-Senior High School on Tuesday. He noted that the metal detectors were purchased a few years ago and have been used about half a dozen times for spot checks.

“So this is not new,” Gulley said. “It’s a deterrent. We’ve used them after security threats before.”

A Jay School Board executive session has also been scheduled for Thursday to discuss school safety.

“I just firmly believe the school board should have oversight of the schools,” said Gulley, noting that he will share information and make sure board members are satisfied with how the situation has been handled.

Friday’s incident occurred in the late morning when staff of the Alternate Placement Program had reason for suspicion. That led to a search by school resource officer Cody Jessee during which he allegedly found a handgun in a student’s possession.

No lockdown procedure was implemented because the firearm had been secured, Gulley said. He noted Tuesday that it is believed that there was no intent to harm anyone, but rather that the student planned to sell the weapon.

He also reiterated his request that all those in the community ensure that their firearms are secure. He said 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,” Gulley said.

Gulley noted that there are plans to rent the north wing of General Shanks to the Applied Behavior Center, an organization that serves students with special needs. 

“It allows parents to have their child here and not have to go to Muncie or some out-of-town location,” he said.

He added that an agreement, which has not yet been signed, was in the works before Friday’s incident.