Police seized a .22-calibre rifle from an Olds residence last week after a 13-year-old Horizon School student allegedly threatened another student at the school on Oct. 1. Staff Sgt.
Police seized a .22-calibre rifle from an Olds residence last week after a 13-year-old Horizon School student allegedly threatened another student at the school on Oct. 1.
Staff Sgt. Joe Sangster, commander of the Olds RCMP detachment, confirmed that a boy at the school for students with special needs told another student that he would bring the rifle to the school to shoot him.
No one was injured and no weapon was present at the school.
The weapon was seized from the home of the boy’s parents the following day after police went to the home to talk with the boy and his parents, Sangster said.
The student who allegedly made the threat has not been charged and police are not considering charges, he added.
A detachment member also attended the school on Oct. 3 to take part in a risk assessment session regarding the incident with school administration.
Wanda Christensen, an assistant superintendent of student services for Chinook’s Edge School Division, said the school’s violence threat risk assessment team, which includes police, educators, family support personnel for people with disabilities and children’s services personnel, met as part of the school division’s protocol in dealing with a threat situation.
The team put together an action plan for the student, who will stay home from school with his parents for an indefinite period of time, that focused on support for the students involved in the incident, making sure any medical assistance is provided, giving the student’s family information about what is needed for the student to re-enter the school and whether further assessment is needed.
The team will follow up with the student who allegedly made the threat and his family in three weeks.
The school’s regular schedule does not include classes from October 7 to 21.
[email protected]
