Airsoft pistol found in Sehome High School student’s backpack, causing Friday’s lockout
Sehome High School went into a modified lockout for nearly two hours Friday because a student brought an airsoft pistol to school, according to a Saturday statement by Bellingham Public Schools.
The school went into a modified lockout around 11 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 3, while the Bellingham Police Department investigated the situation, according to previous reporting in The Bellingham Herald. The modified lockout ended around 12:45 p.m., The Herald previously reported.
In a Friday afternoon update sent to families, school officials said Bellingham police conducted a thorough investigation and checked the high school’s hallways with K-9 officers.
During the investigation, police confiscated a Glock 17-style airsoft pistol from a 16-year-old male student’s backpack, according to Bellingham police and the school district.
The student was released to his parents and charges for possession of a dangerous weapon on school facilities will be referred to the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Office, according to police.
School staff learned of the possibility of a weapon on campus by students who shared information with the school’s administrative staff, according to Dana Smith, a Bellingham Public Schools spokesperson. Smith said there were unconfirmed reports of a weapon on campus that some students received on their phones. She said no threats were made against the school or any individual.
“We are confident and encouraged that when our students heard something that concerned them regarding safety at their school, they did the right thing and told a trusted adult,” Smith said.
Smith said the student’s age, grade level or the discipline the student could potentially face could not be disclosed by the school district due to student discipline and privacy law.
In a lockout situation, the exterior doors to the school are locked and students follow protocols for moving throughout the building. Friday’s lockout was modified because students stayed in the classrooms they were in as of 11 a.m. that day, and didn’t move throughout the building, Smith said.
A lockout is started when there might be a danger outside of the buildings or off campus, according to Bellingham Public Schools. Law enforcement advises the school district on which protocol to follow, Smith said.
This was the second lockout/lockdown situation at a high school in Whatcom County within the week.
A student who reportedly brought a weapon to Ferndale High School, forcing the school into a three-hour long lockdown Wednesday, Dec. 1, turned himself in to law enforcement Thursday, Dec. 2, according to previous reporting in The Herald.
The weapon was seized and confirmed to be a BB gun. Ferndale Police said in a joint statement with the Ferndale School District that it expected to file criminal charges against the student, whose name has not been released, with the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Office, The Herald previously reported.
The Herald has reached out to the prosecutor’s office for more information.
This story was originally published December 7, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
