2 students charged with bringing stolen guns to Hillside High School in Durham
Two students at Hillside High School face weapons charges after bringing guns to school, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday night.
Durham Public Schools security staff told school resource officers from the Sheriff’s Office a Hillside student was planning to bring a weapon to campus Thursday, according to a sheriff’s news release.
“The student was identified by staff and upon arriving to the campus this morning was questioned by SROs,” the release stated. “It was discovered that the juvenile was in fact in possession of a handgun.”
While investigating that incident, officials identified another student who might have a weapon on school grounds.
“This individual was also questioned and found to have a handgun as well,” the release stated.
Each student was charged with possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a weapon on educational property.
The children will also be suspended from school for 365 days, policy states, though a schools spokesperson declined to comment on this case. Federal law calls for a yearlong suspension for anyone who brings a gun on school property, though the superintendent can intervene on a case-by-case basis.
Durham Public Schools recovered two firearms and four other weapons on campuses last school year, according to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. None of the incidents were at Hillside High School.
Schools spokesperson Crystal Roberts said Principal William Logan notified parents and Board of Education members.
“Dr. Logan sent a robocall out to his parents yesterday afternoon. That’s pretty much standard procedure,” she said Friday morning.
SROs remain on Durham campuses
The school system renewed an agreement with the Sheriff’s Office in June in which 22 SROs are assigned to middle and high schools throughout the district. Hillside has one full-time deputy.
“We have to secure our schools and make sure that our babies and our staff are safe,” Superintendent Pascal Mubenga said as the board discussed the arrangement.
A Community Safety and Wellness Task Force was formed in 2021 to craft policy recommendations. Mubenga said they’ll be renewing the memorandum until other recommendations are made.
“I still dream of a world where we have school without police officers,” board member Natalie Beyer said at an Aug. 11 work session. “I think if there’s anywhere in North Carolina that can do that, Durham can.”
In Thursday night’s news release, Sheriff Clarence Birkhead thanked Hillside’s principal and staff for working with his deputies.
“In this instance, the system worked as it is supposed to,” Birkhead said. “Someone saw or heard about a potential threat and spoke up.”
Anyone with concerns about a threat to Durham Public Schools can report it anonymously at p3campus.com/tipform.aspx?ID=3000.
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