Comment Swansea student made about weapon leads to police investigation

A joke from a juvenile led to a police department investigation at a Fall River area school.

According to a letter issued to families and staff, today, officials were made aware of a situation that occurred on Wednesday at Gardner Elementary School in Swansea.

A second-grade student made an inappropriate joke about having a weapon in his backpack. Several students heard the comment but did not alert school staff at the time.

A parent reported the incident to school administration today. The School Resource Officer was informed immediately. The student was questioned, his backpack was searched, and the student’s comments were determined to be unfounded.

The Swansea Police Department conducted an investigation and determined that there was no credible threat.

Scott Holcomb – Superintendent of Schools- asks that families speak with their children about the importance of reporting situations like this to school staff right away.

“We want to highlight the importance of “see something, say something.” Jokes about weapons or violence of any kind will not be tolerated, and discipline will be administered in accordance with the Swansea Public Schools Student Handbook.

“At no time were students at Gardner Elementary School in danger. The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority, and we take situations like this very seriously.”