The Dripping Gun

School locked down over squirt gun

Grover Cleveland student charged for toy gun
By KATHY THOMPSON Staff Writer

ZANESVILLE - A 14-year-old eighth-grade student will be charged with disorderly conduct and inducing panic for taking a squirt gun to school.

The boy was escorted from the grounds of Grover Cleveland Middle School Monday after the "small black plastic gun" was found in his locker.

The mother of the student has voiced her distress at how her son has been treated and feels the charges are unfair.

"He's not the one that induced the panic," the mother said. "The school induced the panic when they locked the school down even after they knew the gun was a toy."

Kevin Appleman, director of student services, said the school went "immediately into lockdown for the safety of the students and teachers."

"But how is that my son's fault?" the mother asked. "They knew it was fake before they even found it. I think this is very unfair." The mother went on to explain that school officials had taken her son into the principal's office and questioned him. It was at that time the boy told authorities about the squirt gun.

Prosecutor Michael Haddox said if found guilty in juvenile court on the two misdemeanors, the boy could face up to 90 days in a juvenile lockup, receive a year of probation, pay court costs, ordered into counseling and even possibly have his driver's license suspended when he is eligible to get it.

Haddox would not comment on exactly why those two charges were filed.

The mother feels suspending her son from school for 10 days was more than enough punishment.

"He's very upset that he's not able to go back and do his work with the other students," she said. "He's also very involved in an after-school program called REACH and he's not allowed to do that."

She also said she has not heard any more from the school authorities.

"I think they need to take some responsibility in what happened," she said. "He should have told them when he first got to school and found out he had left (the squirt gun) in his jacket, but he just stuck it in his locker."

This is the third time in a month that a student has been suspended from Grover Cleveland.,

Earlier this month a seventh-grader was charged after police found a look-alike BB gun in his locker at school. The boy showed the gun to several of his friends before putting it in his locker.

That student was charged with inducing panic and possession of a look-alike firearm, both first-degree misdemeanors. He was charged with inducing panic because his actions forced school officials to lock down the school to protect students and teachers, just as in the most recent case.

Just day later another seventh-grader was escorted out of the school in handcuffs after he "went into a rage" in the assistant principal's office.

That student has been suspended, but not officially expelled as of yet, as the school officials will meet again with his parents, according to Appleman.

Principal Les Richards said these three students do not reflect the majority of the student body.

"We have a great school and a lot of good students who work hard each and everyday," Richards said. "The parents and public need to remember that."

posted by Logan VanLandingham @ 7:25 AM