NICEVILLE, Fla. — Okaloosa County Superintendent of Schools Marcus Chambers has released a statement regarding the arrest of a 16-year-old reportedly found with a handgun on the grounds of Niceville High School.
Here is the statement by Superintendent of Schools Marcus Chambers:
There is no greater priority in our District than student and staff safety. While the intent of this juvenile is not yet known, as a District, our actions will always be to act decisively to protect our school family. With that in mind, I am so very grateful that this situation was handled quickly and efficiently when it came to our attention.
There is no indication that the juvenile attempted to enter either campus. What we do know is that the layers of safety measures in place extend beyond the perimeters of our campuses and worked exceptionally well in this case. Fences limited access to either campus if that was the intent.
Additionally, we train our students that if they “See Something, Say Something,” which means to tell a staff member, teacher, or school administrator, anytime they see or hear something suspicious. Part of the resolution of this situation involved students coming to school administrators earlier in the day to provide information about an off-campus event that occurred at an earlier date.
A School Resource Officer later saw an individual who matched the description on the exterior of the school campuses and confronted the student. When contact was made with the student, the SRO and school officials had no indication that the student possessed a gun. Upon searching the juvenile, the weapon was found and confiscated.
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Since there was no indication that a weapon was near campus until it was confiscated, a lockdown of schools was not warranted.
This incident is a prime example of why we have implemented the number of safety measures we have in Okaloosa Schools. All of the layers of school safety are critical: “See Something, Say Something,” School Resource Officers in every school, the guardian program, single points of entry, perimeter fencing, camera systems, and radio systems, to name a few.
We executed safety protocols in accordance with our training, and for that, I am incredibly proud of the students, school administrators, and SROs who took immediate action.
The District will continue to work cooperatively with the Sheriff’s Office and will take a zero-tolerance approach in this matter
— MARCUS D. CHAMBERS, OKALOOSA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT
