DEERFIELD — Police were called to Frontier Regional High School Tuesday after students in the parking lot saw a toy that looked like a handgun in the back of a car.
The toy wasn’t brought into the school or handled by any students, but Principal Darius Modestow said that anything on the school property falls under its purview.
“Given the climate of schools today, we start by taking all issues very seriously and then we work from there,” he said. “The school handbook says that anything in a car on school property falls under school policy.”
After they spotted the toy, students went directly to school staff and alerted them of the problem. Deerfield Police said they did exactly the right thing.
The school’s no-gun policy covers everything — even toys such as Super Soakers or Nerf guns.
“We use judgment when executing our handbook,” Modestow said, adding that there are a lot of variables taken into account when administering discipline, such as location and what the toy looks like.
School officials called police and then escorted the owner of the toy out to the car and gave it to police when they arrived.
Deerfield Police Officer Adam Sokoloski said that it’s important to create a good learning environment in schools: “Protecting children is one of our core responsibilities,” he said. “And promoting a positive, safe environment is key.”
Frontier Superintendent Marti Barrett reminded parents that “even toys, or replicas, can cause alarm and should never be brought to school. When students at Frontier see something, they say something.”
Because of the student’s age, police are handling the investigating as a juvenile case. The school said they will also discipline the student.