SCCPSS weapons policy: What violators could face

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Windsor Forest High School (WFHS) students were leaving for the day at 2:30 p.m. Monday when a parent coming to pick up their child saw an individual in a car who had a weapon.

The parent called the police, and the school was placed on a hard lockdown.

The identity of the two people who the Savannah-Chatham Board of Education Police Department suspects may be involved in the incident is unknown yet, but here is what they, or any violators, could face.

The car was on the campus of WFHS, so if it were students who were holding the weapon, the level of discipline depends on the type of gun involved.

Per the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) Code of Conduct, if the weapon was a handgun, the student, assuming they are in middle or high school, would face a minimum punishment of alternative placement and maximum punishment of expulsion.

A middle or high school student found with firearms other than handguns, rifles or shotguns could end up in alternative placement or be turned over to police.

If the suspect is an adult, according to school district policy, they would be considered a visitor and are breaking the law.

Under Georgia law, it is illegal for any person to possess a weapon in a school safety zone with a weapon being defined as “…a pistol, revolver, or any weapon designed or intended to propel a missile of any kind…”

In the case at Windsor Forest High, the weapon was allegedly spotted in a vehicle.

The weapon’s carrier would need to own it legally, and it must have been in a locked compartment in order to be within the confines of school district policy.

If the person brought the weapon on campus illegally, they could face a misdemeanor penalty of up to $1,000, up to one year in jail, or both.

Depending on how dangerous the weapon is, the violator faces a fine of up to $10,000, a prison term between five and ten years, or both.

SCCPSS says there will be additional security at WFHS for the rest of this week, which is standard protocol for threat incidents such as this.