The beginning of the holiday weekend was a stressful time for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and administrators at Sunlake High School after a reported student carrying a weapon put the campus on lockdown Friday morning.
Sunlake principal Steve Williams worked to keep the public informed what was happening throughout the morning through Twitter, and posted on the school’s Facebook page later that while an unidentified student was taken into custody by deputies, no weapon was found on campus.
“In an abundance of caution, we began a thorough search of the campus to ensure the student did not give the weapon to another student, or attempt to hide it on the campus,” Williams wrote on Facebook. “Once we were sure that the campus was safe, we moved out of lockdown and finished the day.”
Earlier in the day, a student reported to a school staff member that another student was in possession of a weapon. That immediately put the school into lockdown, and administrators brought in the sheriff’s office, which started an investigation, Williams said.
Although safety precautions were made, Williams emphasized to parents that there was no evidence that a weapon was actually at the school, and that everyone “remained safe throughout the situation.”
“I wish to commend the students, staff and parents of the Sunlake community for their patience and professionalism during this stressful situation,” Williams wrote. “In addition, I want to thank the Pasco sheriff’s office for their efforts today. They were highly professional, and we appreciate our partnership with them.”
Classes are expected to resume as normal on Sept. 2, and no Friday night or weekend events were affected by the lockdown, Williams added.
