Student brings gun and marijuana to Battle High School

A Battle High School student was taken into custody Monday after reportedly bringing a gun and marijuana to school.

Right now, the 15-year-old student is not being named since he is a minor.

High school staff searched the student’s property after getting a complaint that he smelled of marijuana, according to Columbia police. That is when they reportedly found a handgun in the student’s backpack.

In a letter sent to parents, Principal Kim Presko said there was no ammunition and no threats were made, but that the incident is being handled both on the legal and school fronts.

Although the district spokesperson would not comment about possible consequences, the CPS student handbook states, “any student who brings or possesses a weapon on school grounds, on a school bus, or at any school activity will be suspended from school for at least one calendar year or may be expelled.”

Columbia police dispatch records show officers have filed at least 46 police reports for incidents at Battle High School over the past year.

And over the past three school years, there have been at least two weapons offenses and five drug-related offenses at the high school, according to records from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

You can read the school’s full letter to parents below:

“Dear Battle Families,

I want to make you aware of an incident that occurred today at our school. This afternoon we had a student who was in possession of marijuana. During our procedures of searching the student’s belongings, we came across a firearm in the student’s backpack. There was no ammunition and to our knowledge, there were no threats made. Our administrators immediately called for assistance of law enforcement and the student was taken into police custody.

We consider this to be a very serious situation and are taking the appropriate actions, both from the legal and school perspective. We will be working with district administration and law enforcement to make sure the appropriate consequences are administered to maintain a safe school environment for our students and faculty.

The safety and well-being of our students and staff is our top priority. These incidents are also teachable moments and allow us as staff, parents and students to have conversations about the importance of communicating with adults when others are acting in ways that might jeopardize the safety of themselves or those around them. Let’s continue to work together to make our schools and community a safe place to live and learn.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding this issue.

Sincerely,

Kim Presko

Principal

Battle High School”