The following message is from North Albany Middle School Principal Andrea Piper.
North Albany Middle School put hold-in-place procedures in place briefly Wednesday morning during a police investigation after a school security staff member found a handgun in the park across North Second Street from the building.
The staff member found the weapon after observing a North Albany student in that area of the park before the student entered school to start the day at about 8:30 a.m. The weapon was loaded when it was recovered in the park.
After leaving the park to go to school, the student passed through North Albany’s regular security procedures to enter the building and had nothing illegal in their possession at that time.
Following the security team member’s actions, police responded to the school and took the student into custody during their investigation. The student was later charged with possession of a handgun. North Albany is following disciplinary procedures outlined in the Student Code of Conduct as well.
The safety of all of our students, employees and visitors is critically important at North Albany and throughout the City School District of Albany.
We would like to commend the members of our security team for their immediate action after observing the student in the park Wednesday morning.
We ask parents and guardians to talk with students at home about the danger of any type of weapon, and about the critical importance of telling a trusted adult immediately if they see or hear something that makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe in any way.
Please contact me at school if you have any additional questions or concerns about this matter.
