What’s next for Hilton Head High after student seen with gun on campus?
Extra security precautions are being taken at Hilton Head Island High School after a student was charged with carrying a weapon on school property and unlawful carrying of a handgun Tuesday afternoon, Principal Amanda O’Nan said on Wednesday.
The student was seen running away from the school with a handgun tucked into his waistband shortly after dismissal and was detained by police hours later.
The student was not publicly identified because he is a juvenile.
In addition to all doors being locked at all times, places in the school that aren’t typically closely supervised, like the bathrooms and areas near exterior doors, are being monitored by faculty and staff, she said.
“To run a school, you’ve got to make sure not only your buildings are secure but your students are secure,” O’Nan said.
In a Tuesday night email to parents, O’Nan said she felt Tuesday’s arrest was connected to “the concerns that ... prompted (a) modified lockdown on Friday.” On Wednesday morning, she declined to speak specifically about the arrest or its relation to Friday’s lockdown, saying the investigation is still ongoing.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office responded to both incidents and is investigating the circumstances surrounding Tuesday’s arrest, according to spokesperson Capt. Bob Bromage. He would not offer details about the investigation since it is still pending.
He said Friday’s threat — which involved rumors of a Snapchat post showing someone trying to sell a gun and other rumors of someone in possession of a gun — was unsubstantiated because the Sheriff’s Office did not find anyone with a gun before school let out.
Bromage said there appears to be an increase in the number of school threat reports in Beaufort County as a whole since the start of the 2018-19 school year.
“It is a concern, and it is taxing,” he said. “We treat every report as credible until proven otherwise.”
The school district has had 16 or 17 school threats since Jan. 1, according to Cristin Casper, the school district’s community services coordinator.
O’Nan, who has been principal at the high school since July 2007, said she will be recommending the student accused of having a gun on school grounds receive the “strictest punishment possible.”
Possession, transfer or use of a firearm on school property is a level five offense, which is the highest level, according to the school district’s code of conduct. An administrator can give a student up to 10 days of out-of-school suspension and recommend the student be suspended from all schools in the district for up to 365 calendar days.
O’Nan said she believes the apparent increase in school threat reports is complex and may be related to students having a harder time coping with the struggles they are facing and also with their willingness to speak up about potential threats.
O’Nan is planning a meeting about the issue at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Hilton Head High School for students, parents, faculty and staff who want to attend.
This story was originally published December 12, 2018 at 4:35 PM.
