SEVEN JUVENILES ARRESTED IN MIDDLE SCHOOL GUN INCIDENT
SAN DIEGO -- Seven juveniles, all students at Thurgood Marshall Middle
School in Scripps Ranch, have been arrested following an incident at the
school Thursday in which one student brought two pistols and ammunition to
the school.
Two of the seven were placed in Juvenile Hall and have since been released;
the others were released to the custody of a parent or guardian. Each may
face criminal charges in the matter; their cases have been referred to the
San Diego County District Attorney's Office for review.
Under San Diego Unified's Zero Tolerance Policy, six of the students have
been suspended with a recommendation for expulsion, while the seventh has
been suspended for five days as a result of the March 18 incident.
No students were injured during the time the guns were on campus, which is
located at 9700 Avenue of Nations. A fellow student reported the suspects to
school administrators.
Officers from San Diego Unified Police Services continue to investigate the
incident. No additional information is being released because of the federal
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and various other laws covering
juveniles.
An e-mail and telephone message from the principal are going to parents and
guardians of Thurgood Marshall students this afternoon. Here is the text of
that message.
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March 22, 2010
IMPORTANT SCHOOL SAFETY UPDATE FROM PRINCIPAL IRWIN
This is Principal Michelle Irwin with an important safety message for our
school community. Marshall Middle¹s first priority is to provide a safe and
comfortable learning environment for our students. We also want to keep
parents informed about news and incidents that occur at our school.
As you are aware, last Thursday, March 18th, one of our students brought two
unloaded guns to our campus, along with ammunition. Another student reported
seeing the weapons to an adult and School Police is currently investigating
the incident.
We can now report that a total of seven Thurgood Marshall students were
involved. They have all been arrested and will face criminal charges. Six
students have been suspended with a recommendation for expulsion, one
student has been suspended for five days. Two of the seven students arrested
were placed in Juvenile Hall.
San Diego Unified has a strict Zero Tolerance Policy for incidents such as
this. View the policy in Your "Facts for Parent" booklet, available online
at www.sandi.net/zerotolerance. I encourage you to review it with your
children.
The Family Privacy Act and other laws prohibit us from releasing further
details about incidents involving juveniles. However, I did want to share
with you as much information as possible.
I¹m pleased with how this situation was handled. I¹m proud of our students
who did the right thing by sharing this information with administrators.
Thank you for helping to keep Marshall a safe and orderly campus and for
your continued support.
MICHELLE IRWIN
Principal
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Jack Brandais
Communications Department
San Diego Unified School District
(619) 725-5570 (Desk)
(619) 607-0477 (Cell)
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