Officials confirm firearm found; four students detained on Oakleaf High School campus

March 29, 2023 | First Coast News

The Clay County District Schools says “multiple students were involved with bringing a single firearm to campus.”

ORANGE PARK, Fla. — Multiple students were involved in a plan to bring a gun to school at Oakleaf High School Wednesday, according to Chief Kenneth Wagner of the Clay County District Schools Police Department.

“I was going to my class and when I got to 6th period, the intercom comes on and their like, ‘Code red, code red. We’re going on lockdown’,” Oak Leaf High School student Jordan Grant said.

Just after 12:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, Oak Leaf High School was placed on code red lockdown after a student told administrators they saw a student with a gun near a campus bathroom. The school was on lockdown for about two hours. The administration and school resource officer were able to find out who was involved quickly.

“From the time that we were notified and put the school into lockdown, I believe it was probably about 13 to 15 minutes from the time that we were alerted, to identifying who it was, to finding out where they were, and then discovering the gun,” Wagner said.

Clay County School District Chief of Police Kenneth Wagner says one loaded gun was recovered. It was also determined multiple students were involved in bringing it to the school. The students are ‘acquaintances’ but at this point, a motive is not known.

“We encourage people to download the SaferWatch App for Clay County. It’s monitored by law enforcement 24/7, Fortify Florida is another way to submit tips. At the bare minimum, go to your administrator, your school resource officers, or a responsible adult and report when you see something,” Wagner said.

Oak Leaf High School Student Jordan Grant says more screening measures should be taken on campus.

“I feel like the school should get metal detectors because this is just not safe, it’s not okay,” Grant said.

An official statement from Chief Wagner, Clay County District Schools Police Department, on the lockdown:

Safety and security of our campuses is my number one priority and I am proud of our students who reported this to our administration. We encourage our students to always reach out to administration and their school resource officer if they see or hear of any threats, weapons, or suspicious behavior regarding school operations.

Chief Wagner says charges are pending. He notes possession of a firearm on school property is a felony and includes expulsion from school. There is no longer a threat to students but there will be additional resources at the high school on Thursday.

Source: https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/officials-confirm-firearm-oakleaf-high-school-campus/77-63787ba3-1f5e-4dee-b8e6-af359484d940