HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Two Henrico County students were charged with crimesafter police said the students brought guns to school. Henrico Police reported two separate gun-related situations at Highland Springs High School on Tuesday.
One teenage student was detained and officials recovered a gun from him.
He has been charged with possession of a concealed weapon; possession of a firearm on school property; possession of a firearm under 18; and possession of marijuana on school property.
The student was also charged with the manufacture, importation, possession, transfer, or transportation of trigger activators prohibited.
"If you've got a high school student that's bringing in trigger activators and a firearm, you really have to wonder, what's going on here?" CBS 6 legal analyst Todd Stone said. "And are those the things that the judge is going to be looking at if they're going to transfer them as an adult, if that motion is made, and also, what sort of sentence is made if they're found guilty?"
Also that day, another teenage student was taken into custody and officials recovered a gun from him too.
That student has been charged with possession of a firearm on school grounds, possession of a firearm by a minor, and possession of a concealed carry.
Both students were booked at Henrico's Juvenile Detention Home.
"A prosecutor will make the decision about whether to transfer them to be tried as adults. If they do that, a judge in the adult court will have the option, if they're found guilty, of sentencing them to prison time," Stone said.
This is the third time in a matter of a month that Highland Springs High School has reported a student bringing a gun onto school property.
"I'm incredibly proud of our students and them using their voice," Henrico School Board Member Alician Atkins, whose district covers Highland Springs High School, said. "They're seeing things, they are saying things and it's preventing something much worse."
A spokesperson for the district said Henrico County Superintendent Dr. Amy Cashwell has requested an increase in school sweeps countywide by police K-9 units.
Atkins said the district is going to continue with the numerous safety protocols currently in place, such as access control systems, buzz-in entryways, and anonymous alerting, but the board is exploring other safety measures.
"We're exploring other ways to protect our babies in schools. There are conversations about the possibilities of what we can enhance, what we can do with SROs, cameras, the potential conversation of metal detectors," she said.
Atkins said this kind of problem is not specific to Henrico County.
"It's across our country, we're seeing an increase in violence in a myriad of ways, however, particularly at Highland Springs, I know our staff and students are proud. We're going to keep moving with pride, and we're going to focus on the 2,000 students that are making good decisions."
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