03/31/05 — Student caught with gun at Eastern Wayne Middle School

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Student caught with gun at Eastern Wayne Middle School

By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on March 31, 2005 1:48 PM

A 13-year-old student at Eastern Wayne Middle School faces a year's suspension for bringing a gun to school before the Easter break.

According to a Goldsboro police report, at about 1:30 Thursday afternoon, a student at the school told a teacher that another student had a gun. School authorities were informed and they called police officers to the campus.

The gun had no magazine and was not loaded, according to the police report.

The male student was taken into custody by police and the incident was cleared by arrest, police officials said. He was later released into the custody of his parents. No charges had been filed as of today, said a spokesman for the police department

Kristy Fair, public relations officer for Wayne County Public Schools, said that according to school board policy, the consequence for such an infraction is an automatic 365-day suspension.

"The student will be dealt with to the maximum," Ms. Fair said.

She applauded the quick-thinking student who came forward and alerted the teacher to the potentially dangerous situation and said it is important for students to speak up whenever they notice suspicious behavior.