RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond school leaders are investigating two separate incidents of students being sprayed with mace at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School Wednesday.
School officials said the first incident happened this morning inside of a classroom while students were taking a test. In that incident, the suspect is accused of walking inside the class and spraying six students with mace.
The second incident allegedly happened Wednesday afternoon inside of a school bathroom.
After a school investigation, administrators determined mace was sprayed at students during both incidents. Richmond Public Schools Interim Superintendent Tommy Kranz said there is nothing to indicate that the two separate incidents are related.
Officials said administrators are still working to find the people who sprayed the mace.
Kranz said they contacted the parents of the students impacted by the mace and asked them to take the students to a local doctor to be checked out.
School administrators found that the mace used during the incidents came from something that looks like a pen.
Kranz said the school system is trying to tighten security to make sure the pens don't come into school, but he admitted that could be difficult.
“I'm concerned because we go through metal detectors and I know every student does… So I've got a great concern, how did those pens enter in that building?” he asked.
Kranz said the mace pens are easy to obtain and can be found on local sporting goods websites.
He said the pens could be considered weapon when used in a school building.
Kranz went on to say that the school will be doing training with the students Thursday about the mace pen and will explain why it's not appropriate to have on school grounds.
