MANCHESTER, NH – McLaughlin Middle School was placed on a brief “stay in place” while police responded to a report of an “unloaded firearm” found in a fifth-graders backpack.
According to Superintendent of Manchester Schools Jenn Chmiel, families were notified within 30 minutes of the discovery.
“The weapon was immediately confiscated, and the student was removed from school grounds. Out of an abundance of caution, the school did enter a stay-in-place for a brief time,” Chmiel said in a prepared statement released just after 5 p.m.
A full investigation is underway in conjunction with Manchester Police, and consequences will be assigned to the fullest extent appropriate within our code of conduct and the law, Chmiel said.
“Student and staff safety is of the highest priority for the District, and we work closely with local first responders year-round to ensure adequate training for students and staff. Incidents like we saw today have no place in our schools,” Chmiel wrote.
A “stay in place” order generally means students and staff remain in their current classrooms or areas, allowing instruction to continue while keeping hallways clear, often used for non-immediate threats like medical emergencies, nearby police activity, or safety precautions.
Manchester Police will have an increased presence at the school on Friday as a precautionary measure. There have been no other known threats, Chmiel said.
