Superintendent of Gananda Central Schools speaks on scary incident Friday

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — The Superintendent of Gananda Central Schools says reports on Friday of someone in Gananda Middle School with a gun, reports that turned out to be false, were terrifying, especially in an era when real, deadly, shootings have dominated the news.

“A false report at a time like this is frustrating,” declared an exasperated Superintendent Shawn Van Scoy.

The crisis brought a crowd of terrified families outside Gananda middle school waiting for some kind of news about their kids. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office reports it got a call from inside the school about someone with a gun. Deputies, State troopers and Macedon Police rushed to a scene that was traumatic for everyone involved.

“It was super scary,” exclaimed 6th grader Elaina Martinez, “because, we didn’t know what was going on and we were getting a bunch of text messages and stuff around me.”

“You’re petrified,” Said Olivia Jakkunowski, sister of a student. “You feel like the whole world stops, you feel so powerless because all you want to do is run in there grab them.

“This was one of the scariest days I’ve ever had,” said Van Scoy. “I followed two law-enforcement teams with guns drawn around our building while they secured it it was scary to watch law enforcement.”

Law enforcement identified the classroom where the call came from, cleared out all the students and established there was no real threat. Deputies announced all clear and let relieved parents in to get their kids.

One person, identified as a student has been taken into custody for making the false report. There’s been no word on why the student might have done this.

In a time of heightened tension around schools, Superintendent Van Scoy says such a prank is incomprehensible.

“Whether it’s Buffalo, or Texas, or threats here that have been made previously, it’s concerning that people continue to engage in behaviors that that don’t take this fully seriously,” he said.

Van Scoy promised to have counselors in the school on Monday.

Also police, not so much to provide security as to repair the fractured relationship between them and the students who might have been traumatized as they saw them responding to the situation.