Officials: No Gun Found at High School

A report Thursday morning of a student potentially heading to with a handgun led to authorities searching a school bus and the students on it, but no such weapon was found.

“The Dallas Police Department received a call from a concerned parent that they thought a student might have a gun on the bus. That call was routed to the Paulding County Sheriff’s Department,” said Brian Otott, associate superintendent of , adding that deputies quickly responded and searched students as well as their bus but found no gun.

Cpl. Ashley Henson of the confirmed the department’s search for a weapon and that deputies did not locate one.

“After a brief investigation, it was determined that there was not a gun on the bus or with a student,” Henson told Dallas-Hiram Patch.

The incident occurred between 8:30 and 9 a.m., Otott said, adding that parents were notified of it despite the absence of a weapon.

“Safety is our priority,” he said. “Parents of the students who were on the bus were called by administration of Paulding County High School just to let them know what was going on, and a letter was sent home with all students letting them know the incident had occurred.”

The text of the letter sent home to parents is as follows:

Dear Parents,

It is our goal to communicate with you and keep you informed of events that may occur during the school day.

We wanted to make you aware of the following that occurred at Paulding County High School.

This morning the Dallas Police Department received a report that a student riding a bus may have been in possession of a weapon. The Paulding County Sheriff’s Department, working in conjunction with the Dallas Police Department, and school officials responded immediately. All students and the bus were searched and cleared. The campus did not go into a lock-down. This decision was made in concert with officials on scene. There was no weapon found and all agencies involved will continue to investigate the report. Your child’s safety is our first priority and we will update you if any additional information is discovered.

During this time, all agencies worked together to make sure your children and our staff were safe.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Eddie Fincher

Principal

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