15 days ago
Two girls, ninth-grade students at Howard High School, have been charged with bringing the loaded gun to school that was recovered this morning.
School officials say one girl is 15 years old, the other 14.
School board spokesman Chris Floore says the girls have been suspended and school officials plan to expel them.
Howard High School was locked down for several hours after the loaded gun was found in a locker.
Bibb County sheriff's deputies and campus police then searched the building for weapons and drugs, going into classrooms with metal detectors.
Floore said it's unknown why the gun was brought to school.
The school, on Forsyth Road in northern Bibb County, was on "Code Red Lockdown" until 11:15 a.m. "Code Red" means that students stay in their classrooms, and do not change classes at the end of each period as they normally do.
Visitors were also barred from the building.
A tip from a student led authorities to the weapon this morning.
Coincidentally, school system police today launched a program of searches for drugs and weapons. Police were conducting a search at Northeast High School when they learned of the gun at Howard High and they moved there.
The school searches were in response to an incident at Bloomfield Middle School in August. A 13-year old boy was detained after a .38 caliber handgun went off in a classroom.
The boy claimed he found the gun in a desk drawer and the weapon fired accidentally when he dropped it.
The boy pleaded guilty to charges of possession of a weapon by a minor, having a gun on school property, and violating his probation on a previous shoplifting offense. He was also expelled.
