Student arrested with BB gun in backpack

A 14-year-old student was arrested Wednesday morning as he got off the school bus with a BB gun in his backpack.

A teacher had spotted the University High School student holding what looked like a handgun on the bus.

The teacher was driving behind the bus and called ahead to warn school officials.

The student was stopped by assistant principals as he left the bus and was arrested for violating a ban against dangerous weapons after the gun was found in his backpack.

Guns – including BB guns – are prohibited on school buses and school grounds, said Melanie Rose, spokeswoman for the Central Valley School District.

In fact, anything that fires a projectile or looks like a weapon is prohibited, Rose said.

The student lives in a group home, according to the Spokane Valley Police Department. He was booked into Spokane County Juvenile Detention.

Jeff Duncan – who is in his third year as a school resource officer – said this was the first time he’d dealt with a student bringing a gun to school.

“There’s just a zero tolerance toward weapons,” Officer Duncan said.

“The school was really quick on their response, I think.”

The student was expelled on an emergency basis for 45 days, Rose said.

School officials will investigate and decide whether the expulsion will last a year, as is typically the case when a student brings a weapon to school.

The school district dealt with one firearms incident in 2002-2003, the most recent school year for which data is available. In addition, there were 22 knives and daggers and 28 other weapons found at Central Valley schools that year.

There were a total of 2,902 weapons brought to public schools in Washington during 2002-2003, according to statewide data. Of those, 116 were some type of firearm.