Sapulpa Schools has responded after a post was published to a local Facebook group about an incident last week in which a toy gel gun was discharged at students in the temporary high school parking lot behind Domino’s, just south of the high school and west of nearby Holmes Park Elementary.
In the post, the author—allegedly the mother of one of the students at the scene of the incident—sounded the alarm over the situation and criticized the school’s lack of an immediate public response following the incident. “No school resource officer or school principal … felt the need to call a lockdown.”
Shortly after reaching out to the school for comment, they published a statement on the action taken following the situation, saying that school resource officers began investigating “immediately,” and that “at no point did resource officers believe that this was anything other than a toy.”
The statement also said administrators were able to identify the students involved and followed district policy regarding disciplinary action.
The full statement is below.
This message is to inform you of an incident handled at Sapulpa High School recently.
Sapulpa High School school administrators received information that a student discharged a toy gel (Orbeez) gun at lunchtime in the temporary high school parking lot behind Domino’s pizza last Friday. Other students notified SPS school resource officers, who immediately began investigating. At no point did resource officers believe this was anything other than a toy. Administrators were able to identify the students involved and followed district policy regarding disciplinary action.
Our highest priority at Sapulpa Public Schools is the safety and security of our school sites, students, and staff members. The district has no tolerance for weapons of any kind.
Students, staff members, and parents should immediately report any suspicious activity or potential threats to police by calling 911. Incidents should also be reported to a school or district administrator or the district’s anonymous threat and safety reporting tool, Vector Alert.
Sincerely,
Sapulpa Public Schools
