Reading High School was placed on a brief lockdown Wednesday morning. Two students were searched, and a knife was recovered. The students were removed from the building by the Reading Police Department.
In connection with the incident, a Reading School District statement says another student was observed on video to be in possession of an item that appeared to be a firearm.
Reading High School was immediately placed on a lockdown, following the Standard Response Protocols, at approximately 10:30am. The Reading Police Department responded. The student in question was identified, removed, and searched. A second student was then identified, removed, and searched.
A plastic toy gun with a blaze orange tip and a Nerf-type gun were recovered from the second student.
The district says both students are in police custody, along with a third student who was identified during the investigation. The lockdown was lifted at 11:05am.
“We thank the Reading Police Department for its timely and professional response, as well as our Safe Schools Team who was first alerted to the incident and took the appropriate steps of notifying local law enforcement” reads a statement from the school district.
“Since November, Reading High School has been focused on improving safety procedures. The new video equipment, staff coordination and Safety Team procedures were effective in helping to resolve and diffuse any potential incident before escalation today. Working together, we can all help to ensure the safety of our students and staff, which remains our top priority.”
