Weapon allegedly brought to school sparks action

School officials got a tip after classes were out last week that a student may have brought a weapon to Lake Roosevelt Jr-Sr High School and a student has reportedly been referred to juvenile authorities.

In a statement, the Grand Coulee Dam School District alerted the public of the incident on its website and on its Facebook account two days later.

The school administration got the tip about 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16 and immediately began an investigation, the statement said.

“Our school administrators and Coulee Dam Police questioned witnesses and the student. Appropriate legal action was taken by police and disciplinary action taken by the school,” the statement said.

The student was not identified.

The weapon was a “taser,” a handheld electrical device about the size of a flashlight that can stun, but not one that shoots projectiles, Vice Principal Mark Herndon said.

Police had the device by 7 p.m., he said.

“As with all matters of student safety, we have taken this very seriously and have acted accordingly, utilizing both school system disciplinary and justice system resources,” the statement on the district’s Facebook site says. “We would like to remind our community to please encourage your child to let a teacher or administrator know if a situation exists which could ever place them and others in danger.

“We want to thank those parents and students who have provided us with the information necessary to investigate and bring closure to this incident. Only by working as a school community in partnership with parents can we create and maintain the level of safety that we want for our children and that they certainly deserve.”

Citing Coulee Dam Police Chief Paul Bowden, the Omak Chronicle reported that a 14-year-old boy would be referred to juvenile officials for possible charges.