MINT HILL, N.C. — A knife was found during a safety screening at Independence High School on July 10, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
CMS said no "lethal weapons" were found during the routine screening, but a knife was found. CMS did not specify where the knife was found.
Tuesday morning, CMS conducted a safety screening at Independence High, which is a CMS summer school site for high school students from multiple CMS high schools.
A knife was found during the screening. Students involved will be disciplined according to the CMS Code of Student Conduct, CMS said in a statement.
CMS officials say the screenings proceeded 'without incident', and students enrolled in summer programs participated in the screening. No individual students were selected for screening.
The school was placed on lockdown during the screening, as follows normal screening procedures.
In a statement, CMS said they ask families to work together to minimize 'inappropriate items' out of schools, adding, "Students can reach out to any CMS staff member for help and support with issues or concerns they want to talk about."
Anyone with questions or concerns about the safety screenings can contact the CMS Ombudsman’s’ Office by emailing ombudsman@cms.k12.nc.us or by calling 980-343-0055.
The following letter was sent from the principal to families after the screening:
Hello Families,
This letter is to inform you that a safety screening was conducted today, July 10, 2019, at Independence High School where your student is enrolled for summer school classes. Today’s screening was a precaution only – there was no threat or emergency. All students and staff at the school are safe. The district’s firearms detection, and substance detection k-9s were used during today’s screening. The k-9s never came into contact with any student during this process. There was a knife found during today’s safety screening, but no other weapons were found. Students in violation will be disciplined in accordance with the CMS Student Code of Conduct. Please talk to your students and remind them that weapons have no place at school.
Thank you for your support.