Mebane student arrested after BB gun found in bookbag

The student who brought a BB gun to school on Tuesday is facing severe punishment according to the School Board of Alachua County’s (SBAC) student code of conduct.

The female eighth-grader at Mebane Middle School will be recommended for expulsion, SBAC spokeswoman Jackie Johnson said Wednesday.  The punishment also calls for a mandatory 10-day suspension.  The recommendation for expulsion will be made to a hearing officer who will then make a final determination, Johnson said.

Another student alerted school authorities to the presence of the gun.  Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) deputy Mike Moore, the school’s resource officer, along with Mebane Principal Manda Bessner, located the student, who, coincidentally, was on her way to the dean’s office on an unrelated disciplinary issue.

“That student who reported the gun did exactly what they should have done,” Johnson said.

The eighth-grader was subsequently questioned and arrested around 9:55 a.m. after the gun was located in her backpack.  She was released into the custody of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.  School officials would not release the identity of the student.

School and ACSO officials said they did not know why the student brought the gun to the school.

The gun is described as a black plastic BB gun in the shape of a handgun.  It has an orange tip, generally indicating it as a toy.  It is believed the gun shoots plastic pellets, said Art Forgey, ACSO public information officer.

“Any sort of weapon or perceived weapon at a school is taken very seriously, and there is zero tolerance for it by the Sheriff’s Office and school officials,” Forgey said.

Incidents like the one at Mebane occur a few times each year but typically involve weapons such as knives, not BB guns, Forgey said.  The incident at Mebane on Tuesday was the first this year at Alachua County’s schools, he said.

“We can use this incident as a teachable moment,” Johnson said.

“Parents need to talk with their children and encourage them to report to school officials anytime they see or hear about a weapon at school.