Overview:
A Cobb County student was taken into custody after a weapon was recovered at Campbell Middle School in Smyrna on Tuesday, and the district says its safety protocols allowed staff to respond quickly, even as parents question how the item got onto campus and note detection dogs aren't stationed at middle schools.
Smyrna, Ga. — A weapon was recovered from a student at Campbell Middle School in Smyrna this week, according to the Cobb County School District, and parents are now asking how the item made it onto campus.
A district spokesperson confirmed that the incident happened Tuesday and said multiple layers of safety measures helped staff respond quickly.
“We can confirm that a weapon was recovered from a student at Campbell Middle School yesterday,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Thanks to multiple layers of safety supports, including students and staff who did as they are trained, we were able to respond immediately, secure the situation, and take the student into custody.”
According to the spokesperson, the Cobb County School District Police Department is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident and is working with other law enforcement agencies.
“We are grateful that the safety protocols at Campbell Middle worked,” the spokesperson said.
One parent, James Wilson, told reporters his 12-year-old son was in fourth period when another seventh grader allegedly threatened him with a gun before he and a friend got away and told an administrator. A Cobb County School District police officer then confiscated the weapon, and the student involved was taken into custody.
The district said in a letter to the school community that the incident did not lead to a lockdown because it was resolved quickly, and officials noted that while the district uses “Vapor Wake” detection dogs trained to sniff out firearms, those dogs are stationed at every high school but not deployed at the middle school level — a gap some parents say needs to be addressed.
School officials have not released additional details about the type of weapon recovered, the student’s age, or any potential charges. The investigation remains ongoing.
This is a developing story.