A student at Western Hills High School remained on suspension Thursday while authorities investigate whether he brought a handgun to school on Dec. 14 as other students reported.
That was last Friday, the day of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., but Fort Worth school officials don't think that influenced the Western Hills student."This had nothing to do with Connecticut," said Clint Bond, a spokesman for the Fort Worth school district. "This happened before we knew the magnitude of what happened in Connecticut."Western Hills High School is in Benbrook but is in the Fort Worth school district.In a news release, Benbrook police reported that they were called to the school on Monday to "investigate a report of a firearm brandished at Western Hills High School" the previous Friday.The word brandish was "their word, not ours," Bond said in an interview Thursday."By what has been described, it was more of a 'come here, look.' And there was the opening of a jacket and the showing of it -- not something [the student] was waving wildly around a room," Bond said."I think it was pretty clandestine."The case is still being investigated, he said. Depending on the findings, school administrators could call a hearing to determine punishment.Bond said he was prevented by law from identifying the student or even stating the student's gender.He did, however, describe a timeline.Benbrook police and school officials first learned about it on Monday after students who said they saw the gun went home over the weekend and told their parents."As soon as school opened Monday morning, they were there wanting to see the principal with their children to tell us about this," Bond said. "So we're thankful to those parents."They did absolutely the right thing." Bond also praised the students for alerting their parents."That's the impressive thing," he said. "Students can take ownership of their campus when they see something like that. They can report it immediately."Bill Miller, 817-390-7684Twitter: @Bill_MillerST
To report
school concerns
Fort Worth school safety information, titled "Know the Plan," is on the district's website -- www.fwisd.org/plan/. It includes numbers that parents and students can call to report incidents, including 911 and Crime Stoppers.
The district's "Safety & Security" line, 817-814-2680, is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Source: Clint Bond, Fort Worth school spokesman
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