Grovetown High School officials say a 16-year-old student was found Wednesday with a handgun in his bookbag on campus, prompting a swift response from Columbia County School District Police.
According to a letter sent to parents Wednesday by Principal Andrew Young, officers recovered the weapon “without incident,” and the student is now facing criminal charges as well as disciplinary action under the district’s Code of Conduct. He has been transferred to the Regional Youth Detention Center in Augusta.
“The safety of students and staff is a top priority, and we take incidents such as these extremely seriously and will investigate fully,” Young wrote.
He urged parents to speak with their children about the dangers of bringing inappropriate items to school and to report any suspicious activity to a teacher, administrator, or school police.
The district did not release additional details about the student or whether the gun was loaded.
In an unrelated incident, a pocketknife was found on the floor of Bus 1505 Route 2 on Wednesday morning by a 5th grade student. The pocketknife was turned over to the bus driver, who submitted it to school administration and the Columbia County Police Department. This route serves both Greenbrier High School and Riverside Elementary School.
