Weapon scare causes student to be removed from school

It was just a toy but it created a scary situation for students and a school bus driver.

Administrators in the Anchor Bay School District were alerted by students on a bus Tuesday of an alleged weapon a student had that was later described by a district spokesperson as a USB charged electric gel shooter.

Anchor Bay Superintendent Phil Jankowski said in a letter to parents sent April 26 the driver stopped at the nearest building where the student was removed. A search of the bus and the student led to the discovery of a toy gun.

The student is excluded from school pending further investigation and disciplinary action.

“The Anchor Bay School District responds to every report with the utmost seriousness. I commend the students who reported the issue and the bus driver for her quick action in handling the situation,” Jankowski wrote in a letter to parents. “As always, we encourage students and parents to report any concerns they have immediately so we can follow up with an investigation.”

Jankowski also urged parents to have an important conversation with students about the seriousness of bringing weapons or perceived ones on a bus or school grounds.

“There are many toys that resemble weapons that can create alarm and disrupt learning,” Jankowski said.

A plethora of other scenarios including the involvement of police could also have played out.

“Many times, in incidents like this, students or parents report that a student forgot they had the item in question. In the case where a student inadvertently brings something that could be construed as a weapon, the student should be told to immediately report the object to an adult,” Jankowski said in the letter. “In those incidents, we will retain the item for parent pick up.”

Jankowski confirmed to a reporter Thursday the student attended a district elementary.

“We’ve never had anything like this happen before,” he said. “The bus driver, other students, administrators, and parents handled it exceptionally well. As always, we try to err on the side of caution and it is a prime example of why we ask people to say something if they see something. We just want to make parents aware to watch what their children bring to school to prevent issues such as this.”