On Wednesday, September 18 in the afternoon, a Jackson-Reed student’s handgun was confiscated by security and did not make it into the building. The gun was in the student’s bag as they tried to enter the building after lunch. No one was harmed. 

In an email to JR families, Principal Sah Brown stated, “per the District’s security and emergency protocols, we immediately contacted the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and DCPS Police, who arrived quickly to confiscate the weapon and launch their investigative proceedings.”

This is the second time a handgun has been confiscated by security in JR this year. In February, a visitor set to perform at a Gogo event attempted to bring in a handgun. The visitor was stopped by security, and the gun was immediately confiscated. 

Science teacher Will Gomaa commented that even though he “wish[ed] it would never happen,” he felt happy and confident in the security team’s performance and ability to confiscate weapons and keep the community safe. 

The security officer who confiscated the gun on Wednesday was not allowed to comment on the incident or protocols enacted, due to the pending investigation by the MPD. 

The objective of the student is also unclear. “I do not know the intentions of the student,” Director of Strategy and Logistics Brandon Hall said. 

A senior at JR who wished to remain anonymous stated, “I just can’t imagine there’s a scenario where there were good intentions,” and added that they do not want the student to be allowed back to JR. Additionally, the senior found out about the incident the following day during first period and wished there was more direct communication from the administration.

Brown notified faculty and staff of the incident around an hour and a half after school ended, with the email to JR families sent shortly after. 

In regards to the speed of the information given by the administration, social studies teacher Michele Bollinger said, “I’ve been here a long time so I know this kind of thing happens. That being said, it’s not a good feeling to know something serious happened and not be informed more quickly.”

The MPD released a statement on 9/19, the day after the incident, about threats made to DC schools. “MPD is actively investigating an anonymous threat made to local schools. We are taking the threat seriously, but at this time we do not believe there is an immediate danger to students or staff. Out of an abundance of caution, we have increased presence at schools throughout the District.” 

The next day, the MPD announced the arrest of a 15-year-old male responsible for the threats, which included an Instagram post displaying images of weapons and a list of DC schools. However, the investigation found it was a doctored image and that the teen was not in possession of a gun. 

“The safety of our students is always paramount,” Brown wrote to conclude his email to the community following the incident.