A video of a student with a handgun in a school setting prompted Paola High School to be placed on lockdown yesterday Thursday September 27th, but no students were harmed. An investigation revealed that the handgun was not real. Paola USD 368 officials alerted parents of the incident by sending out a districtwide message. The states that once the video was posted, the school’s crisis protocol was immediately implemented, a lockdown was initiated, and law enforcement officers quickly arrived. Upon investigation, it was determined that the video was filmed off campus, and the handgun was not real.
The situation is being dealt with by local law enforcement and school administration, according to the message. It stated that no students were harmed, and they are extremely grateful to the concerned students who immediately reported the incident to a school employee. Officials stress that school safety is of the utmost importance.
