Loaded gun found at Monroe HS after photo posted on social media, district says

MONROE, N.C. — A loaded gun was found at a Monroe high school after a student posted a picture to social media with it, according to school officials.

A Union County Public Schools spokesperson said the weapon was found at Monroe High School Thursday morning. According to the district, school officials worked with the school resource officer to apprehend the student and secure the gun quickly.

No students or staff were threatened or harmed in the process, a message to parents reads. The student will be disciplined accordingly, the message says.

“I want to thank our parents and students who reported this information,” the message reads. “We take all of these matters seriously and we need everyone’s help to keep a safe and productive learning environment.”

Monroe police said they’re working to charge the student through the Department of Juvenile Justice due to the state’s “Raise the Age” law.

Police said they were also called Thursday to Monroe Middle School for a reported gun on campus, but no gun was found there. The school was put on lockdown while officers searched the property.

“We are very appreciative of those that reached out to provide information about these incidents which allowed us to quickly, and without incident, secure the individual and weapon. Any time we have a situation where a weapon on a school campus is involved, we all have to do our part to ensure our students are safe and secure,” said Monroe Police Chief Bryan Gilliard in a written statement.

Thursday was already an early release day for students, and classes remained on that schedule.

The full message sent to parents is below:

“Good morning, this is Mrs. Batchelor calling with an important message. This morning, we were made aware that a student posted a picture with a weapon on social media. As soon as administrators were aware, they worked with the school’s resource officer to identify the student. He was immediately apprehended and the weapon was safely secured. No students or staff were threatened or harmed during this incident and everyone is safe at Monroe High School. Appropriate disciplinary action will be assigned to the student involved. As a reminder, today is an early release day and we will continue on a normal schedule until dismissal at 12:05. I want to thank our parents and students who reported this information. We take all of these matters seriously and we need everyone’s help to keep a safe and productive learning environment.”

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