East High student attempts to bring weapon to school; assaults security

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — An East High student assaulted a security guard Friday after he was stopped trying to bring a weapon into school, according to the school’s superintendent.

In a letter sent to the community, Superintendent Sean Nelms said during a security check, they scanned what appeared to be a gun. When school security confronted the student, he allegedly assaulted the officer and ran away.

The school was placed on lockout and Rochester Police were called.

"First course of action is to figure out why the kids needed a gun, was it an external issue in the community was it an issue in the school?" Nelms said. "But our job, at this point, is to help the student and their family get through the next steps in the process but also to proactively resolve issues that might require a student to feel like they need a weapon."

RPD says the security guard was not injured and declined to press charges. The student left the scene and has not been taken into custody at this time, according to RPD. Neither the police nor the school are releasing the student’s identity at this point.

Nelms’s statement went on to say:

While I realize that this is cause for concern, I want to reassure you that the gun never made it beyond security, and there were no threats or safety issues inside the building. Appropriate disciplinary action is being taken against the identified student.

I am grateful to our school security officers and the Rochester police for being engaged in this matter. I applaud our security staff at East and the continued vital role they play in keeping our school community safe.

We will continue to work with our scholars to proactively solve conflicts before they emerge at school and in the community. The safety of our scholars and staff is our top priority at East.