(Updated at 1:40 p.m.) An Arlington school went into lockdown Wednesday after a student reportedly brought a gun to school.
All students at the Langston High School Continuation Program and New Directions secondary program are safe and the lockdown lasted about 30 minutes, Principal Kim Jackson-Davis said in an email to families Wednesday afternoon.
“The student responsible for bringing the gun to school has received consequences in accordance with the Arlington Public Schools Student Code of Conduct,” she wrote. “This matter has also been referred to law enforcement for further investigation.”
Police were dispatched to the school around 2:30 p.m., after the gun was confiscated, according to scanner traffic.
The email from Jackson-Davis, below, thanked “the student who brought this to our attention.”
Dear Langston/New Directions Families,
This is to inform you that our administrative team confiscated a gun from a student during school today. Information and support from our school community enabled us to quickly investigate and take immediate action. As soon as administrators found the weapon, they called 911 and placed the school in lockdown out of an abundance of caution. The lockdown lasted for about 30 minutes and dismissal occurred on time. All students and staff are safe.
The student responsible for bringing the gun to school has received consequences in accordance with the Arlington Public Schools Student Code of Conduct. This matter has also been referred to law enforcement for further investigation.
We appreciate the student who brought this to our attention and ask all members of our community to report any threats they may see or hear, whether they believe they are credible or not. We continue to inform students about the importance of reporting incidents that are wrong or potentially dangerous. Please also help us spread the word to our kids that it is against the law to bring weapons of any type to school. Weapons can result in serious injury.
Together, we can do our part to keep our school and each other safe.
Sincerely,
Kim Jackson-Davis
Principal
On Thursday, the Arlington County police crime report said the 18-year-old student is facing a pair of weapons charges.
2100 block of N. Culpepper Street. At approximately 2:35 p.m. on March 13, police were dispatched to Langston High School Continuation Program for the report of an alarm. Upon arrival, it was determined school administration located a firearm in a student’s possession on school property and subsequently placed the school on lockdown. Responding officers took possession of the firearm and took the suspect into custody. Tashawn Carter, 18, of Arlington, Va. was arrested and charged with Possession of a Weapon on School Property and Carrying a Concealed Weapon. He was held without bond.
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