Two 13-year-old students were arrested Thursday on felony charges after the Juneau Police Department received a report of a school shooting threat.
Police received a report Wednesday night from someone who overheard two students at Floyd Dryden Middle School talking about bringing a gun to school and shooting people.
Police took both students into custody and charged them with terroristic threatening. They were taken to the Johnson Youth Center before the start of the school day.
Parents were notified of the situation via email Thursday morning. School activities were not affected.
Juneau School District Chief of Staff Kristin Bartlett said the district is constantly working to improve its response to this type of incident, with staff training for active shooter response and preventative measures like increased school security.
“Every year we get a little bit better about putting all of these aspects in place, so that we’re teaching in an environment where people feel secure,” Bartlett said. “We have preventative measures in place. They’re prepared, and it takes everybody in the school to work together.”
Bartlett said the district is grateful to the person who spoke up in this instance. She said it’s just as important for students to feel like they have adults who they can go to when they feel unsafe.
In January, a Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé student was arrested and charged with a felony for bringing a BB gun to school. The school went into lockdown mode, and no one was hurt.
