Lockdown review complete

Photo: Darren Handschuh

A week after a Vernon school was locked down due to a gun scare, officials are saying they are happy with how things were handled and the matter is now closed.

Vernon Secondary School was locked down Jan. 27 after a neighbour saw a person enter the building with what they thought was a handgun.

While it turned out to be an air soft BB gun, the incident underscored the need for an emergency lockdown plan.

And School District 22 Superintendent Joe Rogers said the plan worked well.

“We are satisfied that our current safe schools procedures worked effectively. We need to take any report of a weapon at school very seriously to ensure the safety of our students and staff,” said Rogers. “We continue to work with school staff, IH and the RCMP school liaison officer to reinforce school and district safe school policies in assemblies, class discussions and individual meetings.”

When the call came in, about a dozen RCMP rushed to the school in a matter of minutes.

Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy said based on the description of the person with the gun, police were able to identify the student and found the BB gun in his backpack.

Noseworthy said it is a bad idea to take anything resembling a weapon to school as police have to assume the weapon is real until proven otherwise.

“In general, it is a ridiculous idea and there is no reason for anyone to bring something like that to school. And it's terrifying for the people in the school as well. No one wants to go through a lockdown,” Noseworthy said.

The situation was made even more tense as only a few days earlier two people were shot and killed in a school in La Loche, Sask. Others at the school were wounded.

Noseworthy said the BB gun looked real, and while she has not heard of it happening here “in the United States, criminals are painting their guns to look like fake guns so you just can't take the risk.”

The unidentified student will not be facing any criminal charges, and Rogers said “privacy rules do not permit discussion of individual student consequences.”