ROCK SPRINGS – A student faces disciplinary action and citations after they were found with a BB gun at Rock Springs High School Monday afternoon. Meanwhile, parents have voiced concerns about how the district handled the incident, with district officials saying they will use the experience to improve how it responds to parents and the public.

According to the Rock Springs Police Department, the Sweetwater County Combined Communications Dispatch Center received a call that a student had a weapon. Officers were quickly dispatched and investigated the claim, which revealed the weapon to be a BB gun. 

“There is no immediate threat to students or staff at  Rock Springs High School,” The RSPD said in a statement sent to local media and published on Facebook.

Elizabeth Coontz, the public information officer for the RSPD, said a video was being passed around the school which was used to determine the weapon was a BB gun. She said they knew it was a BB gun within 20 minutes of the initial call. Originally, four officers were paged to respond to the high school, with Coontz saying some officers were removed from the call before they arrived. She also said citations were issued to the juvenile, but was unable to confirm what the citations are. Because the student is a juvenile, their name was not released.

According to Sweetwater County School District No. 1 Policy JFCJ, the BB gun would be considered a Type 5 weapon, which is a toy or replica of a firearm. The penalty listed for carrying a Type 5 weapon on school property is disciplinary action at the discretion of a building’s principal. Policy JFCJ-R additionally states a weapon will be confiscated and submitted to law enforcement and disciplinary action will be taken.

Backlash Received Over Response

Criticism of how the high school handled the situation was posted on Facebook after the RSPD issued its statement and at the Sweetwater County School District No. 1 board meeting later Monday evening. Many commenting on the RSPD post questioned why a lockdown wasn’t initiated and why parents weren’t notified. School district officials admitted that they could have done better following the incident and vowed to improve communication.

“The Rock Springs High School really dropped the ball on this one,” Victoria Watkins posted. “I am very angry that my son had to notify me of this and when I called the school for further information the lady at the front desk had no idea what was going on. My son’s teachers were also unaware of the situation. Why are there so many drills for a lock down, but there is not a lock down when there is a credible threat. I now question whether I can trust this school district to keep my children safe! There is (sic) still no notifications for parents from the school on parent square. What if the parents do not have Facebook? They would still have no idea what is going on,” Watkins concluded.

Allie Moser, the cochair of the RSHS Parent Involvement Team, voiced her disappointment at the school board meeting, saying while comments made by board member Cole Wright prior to her speaking were welcome, the team has concerns about how the situation was handled.

“As a parent group, we are disappointed in the lack of initiating district SRP protocols and the lack of communication with students, parents, and staff,” she said. “Anytime there is a police presence needed at a school, the school, at a minimum, should be put into a hold.”

She said the RSPD press release didn’t specify which RSHS campus the situation took place at, which led to confusion and worry. She said the district cannot over communicate with parents when it comes to student safety.

“We would ask for a thorough review of today’s events. Our children deserve better,” Moser said.

Benjamin Straka, the principal at RSHS, said both the administration and RSPD decided a lockdown wasn’t warranted because of the information they received, the video evidence available, and the fact no verbal or written threats were issued. 

“When these situations occur, a determination on the situation needs to be assessed immediately and a decision on action taken. RSPD was intercepting a large quantity of calls and put a statement out with the limited information that had been gathered to inform everyone and reassure there was not a threat,” Straka said in an emailed statement to SweetwaterNOW. “Another statement followed from School District Number One, once we were able to give more clear details. We understand the communication concerns and appreciate the feedback. We will reflect as we always do after any incident on what went well and what we can improve on and adjust. Again, we appreciate the feedback.”

Wright said the initial report was of an Airsoft gun because the person reporting the weapon saw a plastic orange tip on the gun. Wright said a replica gun doesn’t warrant a school lockdown. Wright said that staff members felt let down due to the lack of communication regarding the incident and said the district felt it was important to allow the RSPD to question the individual before making a statement or issuing a press release. He said the district has the opportunity to learn from the incident and how to better respond in the future. He said he understands the emotions people are feeling related to the situation.

“I hear you, and I fully appreciate the fear and anxiety that this caused, especially when this information was coming out second hand,” he said.