Southside student approaches school bus with BB gun, no one harmed

Southside MIddle School. Screenshot/Google Maps

MANCHESTER, N.H. – On Tuesday morning, the Manchester School District reported that a student from Southside Middle School allegedly approached a Memorial High School school bus with a BB gun.

According to the report, the bus driver was able to drive away and no one hurt, and that this incident was not related to the incident the previous day at Memorial.

Guidance support has been made available to students at Memorial and an additional police presence will be in the area for the remainder of the day.

Manchester School District Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Chmiel said that both of the incidents were extremely troubling and absolutely unacceptable, and issued the following statement:

Good morning,

This morning, Manchester Police arrested an individual reportedly brandishing a firearm in the parking lot of Memorial High School. Several students reported the suspicious individual to the school. The SRO and Manchester Police were able to quickly locate and arrest the individual at a business off campus. While this incident was being processed, the school was briefly placed in secure campus mode; that was lifted as soon as the scene was cleared by police.

The safety of our students and staff is always our utmost concern, and there is no tolerance for behaviors on our campuses that put anyone at risk. We will work to support Manchester Police as they investigate and the district team will provide additional support to Memorial, as needed. Out of an abundance of caution, there will be an additional police presence at the school for the remainder of the day.

We want to thank the students who brought this information forward, as well as the staff at Memorial who acted quickly to ensure the safety of all involved.

In addition to any criminal charges, the Manchester School District may also hold students involved in such incidents to the district’s code of conduct.