Patriot families,
At the Marion School District, we place a high premium on providing a safe and supportive learning environment. When a safety issue arises at our schools, we take it seriously. Such is the case with the incident that occurred at our high school last Friday (September 20).
Given the abundance of information -- and misinformation – that has swirled about on social media and around our community since then, we wanted to take this opportunity to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information available, including information on the steps we are taking to ensure the safety of our students and staff.
Friday morning, we were notified of an allegation involving students with weapons on the campus of Marion High School. The school was immediately placed on lockdown and our campus safety officers arrived at the scene, joined quickly by officers from the Marion Police Department, the Arkansas Highway Police, the West Memphis Police Department, and the Crittenden County Sheriff’s Department.
The two high school students who allegedly made the statements regarding weapons made their way to the Marion Performing Arts Center, which at the time was filled with students watching a school play. Both were swiftly apprehended in the building, and no weapons were found on their persons or in the facility. Both suspects were taken into police custody.
Following the apprehension of the students, the lockdown was lifted, and students resumed their regular school day. Detectives collected evidence and interviewed potential witnesses. Specially trained weapons-detecting k-9 units were also deployed and scoured the scene. Again, to be clear, no weapons have been found related to this or any other incident on the MSD campus.
Though no weapons were found, this incident did confirm for us the strength of the safety plan we have in place and the great relationships we have with our local law enforcement. Through the quick actions of our Campus Safety Team, and the immediate response of local authorities, the entire situation was resolved only 17 minutes after the initial threat was reported. We are grateful for the actions of all involved in helping keep our students and staff safe.
We remain committed to doing whatever it takes to make sure our students feel safe and supported at all times while at school. If you have questions or concerns you would like to share, we urge you to contact our Central Office at 870-763-5100. As more information becomes available regarding this incident, or any others, we will share it promptly. We are thankful to our entire Patriot community for your ongoing support.