Bullet found at Allentown High School
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

ALLENTOWN - Parents of students at Allentown High School received a letter on Feb. 23 informing them that a single round of ammunition had been found in the high school.

In the letter, interim Superintendent of Schools Robert Smith wrote that the police were contacted after Principal Christopher Nagy was notified of the finding.

Smith asked parents to talk to their children and stressed the importance of following school policies.

As per advice from the New Jersey State Police, school officials - AHS faculty and staff, district administrators and Board of Education members - were all notified of the incident.

"The request has been made of staff members to be more vigilant than normal," Smith wrote in the letter.

Smith stated that the school district is taking other steps regarding the matter, such as working very closely with the local and state police.

"As always, we want to assure you that we are taking proactive measures to address the situation," he wrote.

When asked about the incident, Smith said a member of the cleaning staff found one bullet. However, he said he could not reveal when and where it was found because those facts are important to the investigation. Smith also said he could not disclose the type of bullet found for the same reason of confidentiality.

In the letter, Smith stated that he wanted to emphasize the school policies prohibiting weapons - and by extension, the accessories to weapons - which carry a severe penalty. He later explained that students found in possession of a gun or weapon used to threaten or harm another student or staff member fall subject to a penalty of out-of-school suspension for 10 days, a recommendation for a Board of Education disciplinary hearing and a police report.

The penalty for possession of a weapon other than a gun is out-of-school suspension for five days and a report of the incident to the police, he said.

According to Smith, additional security measures are being taken, but he declined to elaborate.