Riverhead School District

BB gun found in student backpack at Riverhead High School

A BB gun was found in a student’s backpack at Riverhead High School last Monday.

While there were no injuries reported, according to a statement from assistant principal Sean O’Hara, it is unclear whether the BB gun was intended to be used on school property. That evening, Mr. O’Hara notified families in the district about the “important” incident. 

“After overhearing about a potential fight expected to take place later in the day, a student reported the incident to school officials,” the statement said.

The school resource officer and the Riverhead Town police were called to the high school after the incident.

“Please be assured the safety of our students and our staff is our highest priority,” Monday’s statement said.

The incident comes three weeks after an airsoft gun was found in a student’s backpack at the middle school, and less than three weeks after an altercation between three students outside of the high school prompted one student to pull out a knife.

Superintendent Aurelia Henriquez declined to comment on the situation, but said the district security director will discuss future safety precautions at the Dec. 11 board meeting.

[email protected]

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story named Michael Rodriguez the district security director. Terry Culhane is the new district security director.