Student brought a loaded handgun to a Beaufort County school, police say
A student brought a loaded gun to school in Burton on May 4, according to reports from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The student, who was not named in reports because he is a minor, was seen playing with a weapon on the school bus going to Right Choices, an alternative program housed at the Beaufort County School District’s central office in Burton — the same place where many school board meetings are held and Superintendent Frank Rodriguez works.
Students are sent to Right Choices after violations of the district’s code of conduct, according to the program’s website.
Enrollment shifts throughout the year, but approximately 18 students are currently enrolled there, district security director Dave Grissom said Thursday.
When school principal Kimberly Hobley was informed that the student had been seen with a weapon on the bus, she brought him to the school resource officer’s office and searched the student using a wand metal detector.
Grissom said students are screened with metal detector wands every morning before coming to class and that a school resource officer is on duty during the school day.
The student said he had a vape pen and handed it over. It wasn’t until the officer began to search him that the student admitted to having a firearm hidden in his pants.
According to the report, the firearm was an M&P Smith and Wesson .380 shield handgun. The gun was loaded with six bullets when it was found.
“We also have a secure door that requires keyless entry to get to the district office from Right Choices,” Grissom said. That keyless entry unlocks with an employee ID card, he said.
Right Choices is subject to the same lockdown drills as other district schools. “There is constant evaluation from me and the superintendent’s office to see what we can do to always improve our safety,” Grissom said.
As of Thursday afternoon, he said there were no plans to conduct additional safety drills for district personnel or Right Choices students and staff.
Several local law enforcement agencies and first responders participated in active shooter training at the district office Wednesday and Thursday, but that drill had been planned several months in advance and did not include training for district personnel or Right Choices staff and students, Grissom said.
In 2019-20, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office reported 13 incidents at Right Choices, the majority of which were classified as third-degree assault and battery. None was classified as carrying a weapon on school property or school threats.
The student was detained and charged with unlawful carrying of a firearm and having a weapon on school property. He was taken to South Carolina’s Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia.
This story was originally published May 13, 2021 at 3:35 PM.
