Gun found at Grovetown High; trash fire lit at Harlem school

GROVETOWN, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A student was found with a gun on the campus of Grovetown High School on Friday, the Columbia County School District reported.

Meanwhile, another student is being blamed for a fire in a trash can at Harlem Middle School.

Gun at Grovetown High

Administrators and Columbia County School District police responded to a tip and found a gun in a student’s possession, the district said.

The gun was immediately confiscated and secured.

“There was no direct threat made against the school, students or staff, and the incident was handled without disrupting the school day,” the district said in a note to parents. “The Columbia County School District and Grovetown High School takes incidents such as these extremely seriously.”

The student has been criminally charged with possession of a firearm on campus and will also be held accountable according to the code of conduct, the district said.

“Safety of students and staff is a top priority; however, it is also a shared responsibility,” the district said. “To that end, we commend those who brought this information forward so that school staff could respond quickly and intervene appropriately.

The district assured parents that “every effort is made to ensure a safe environment for students and staff, including the presence of two highly trained school district police officers and a partnership with local law enforcement.”

The incident came a day after threats and rumors about threats raised concerns at schools across the Savannah River in South Carolina.

In Bamberg, Richard Carroll Elementary was evacuated after parents and community members said they’d heard about a possible threat. Meanwhile, there was a threat at Barnwell High that prompted the Barnwell County Sheriff’s Office to differ a reward for information about who was behind that incident and others.

Fire at Harlem Middle School

On Friday at Harlem Middle, School, a trash can with paper towels was found smoldering in a restroom.

Students in classrooms on that hallway were briefly evacuated, and the contents of the tras hcan were immediately extinguished by the school staff, parents were told Friday in a note. Students returned to class and school operations continued normally.

An investigation revealed a student lit a paper towel on fire in the trash can, parents were told.

The student will be held accountable according to the code of conduct and the law, parents were told.

It happened a day after fire crews were called to Riverside Elementary in Evans when a dryer overheated in the kitchen area as towels were being dried

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