School district addresses gun incident, shooting rumors

Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter

Social media was abuzz and many parents were upset that they weren’t properly notified after a pair of incidents at Fernley Schools this week, but the Lyon County School District issued statements saying that no students were endangered.

In the first incident, a gun was found in a student’s backpack at Silverland Middle School on Monday. In the other, rumors were circulated that a possible shooting was planned Friday at Fernley High School.

In the Silverland incident, a student reported to a teacher that another student had a firearm in a backpack. The teacher then reported the information to school administration, who found the gun in the backpack in the student’s locker.

The school district said the student had left the gun in the backpack after target shooting over the weekend.

“The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office was immediately involved and secured the situation without incident,” the district said in a statement released Tuesday.

The school district also said FHS administration and district officials worked together with the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office and found no validity to the rumors of the possible shooting at the high school but the district has arranged for extra security at the school.”

However, many parents took to social media to complain that they were not notified of the incident at Silverland, or of the rumors about the high school, and some indicated plans to keep their students home from school.

Lyon County School District Superintendent Wayne Workman said Tuesday that the notices were put out through social media, but not through the all-call or email alert system. Workman said Tuesday evening that Silverland administration was preparing to send all-call notifications.

The following are the statements the school district issued on the two incidents:

Regarding the Fernley High School shooting rumor

Please be advised that FHS administration and the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office are aware of the rumors regarding a possible shooting at the school. We have worked diligently with the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office to thoroughly investigate these rumors and have found no validity to them. Regardless, we have arranged for extra support and security to make sure all students are safe at school. We appreciate the cooperation of our students, staff, families and the LCSO as we work together to provide a safe and secure environment at FHS. Additionally, we appreciate the efforts of the entire community in helping us share this message. Should you have questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact FHS at 775-575-3400. 

Regarding the gun on campus at Silverland Middle School

Monday, December 4, 2017 at Silverland Middle School a student reported to a teacher that they believed another student had a firearm in their backpack. The teacher immediately reported this to administration who promptly secured the student’s backpack from their locker. After securing the backpack, administration immediately retrieved the student from the classroom for questioning. Upon questioning it was discovered that the student allegedly left the firearm in their backpack after target shooting over the weekend. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office was immediately involved and secured the situation without incident.
Due to the circumstances as well as the prompt actions of administration and LCSO, all students and staff remained safe while school operations continued on a normal schedule. District leaders and SMS staff will continue working with LCSO officials to ensure a safe learning environment exists at the school, and student and staff safety remains as the number one priority of the Lyon County School District.