New Phila student allegedly found with knife after tripping vape detectors
New Philadelphia (WJER) (March 10, 2023) – New Philadelphia School District officials say there were no threats made by a student who was allegedly found with weapons at the high school Thursday.
New Philadelphia police call logs indicate the high school student had a knife, a fake cap gun, and a couple of lighters.
Superintendent Amy Wentworth says it started when the building’s sensors detected vaping in a bathroom at about 9:30 a.m.
She says administrators then identified and searched the suspected student with a metal detector, which uncovered the weapons.
“When a student does have an incident where the vape sensor goes off, we bring them into the office and then we use those wand metal detectors to ensure we have all the vapes,” said Wentworth. “Typically, we discover vapes when we do that.”
Police were called to escort the student off campus.
Wentworth says the administrators in the situation never felt in any danger.
“Clearly I think this is an example that shows that the safety measures that we have put in place are working,” she said.
Wentworth says the student will be disciplined in accordance with the district’s student code of conduct policies.
This follows the arrest from February where a Welty Middle School student had a handgun and ammunition in his backpack. There were also no threats or injuries in that incident.