The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office was called to the Dryden School District after three shell casings and one live round of suspected .22 ammunition were found by a student during the dismissal of the middle and high school.
According to Joshua Bacigalupi, Superintendent of Schools, the rounds were found outside the entrance to the school Monday afternoon. The student who found the casings turned them over to school staff to be given to law enforcement.
The school administration was going through camera footage Monday afternoon to ensure no weapons or ammunition was in the middle and high school buildings.
In a statement, Superintendent Bacigalupit said:
“We believe that a safe, joyful learning environment will promote learning and growth, and to that end, we feel it is important to communicate this information to you but also to stress that to our knowledge there has been no direct or indirect threat of violence made to the District or other students in recent days.
The District uses door checks, hallway duties, door duty, social and emotional personnel such as social workers and school counselors, and multiple safety protocols and additional tools/technology designed to keep students and staff safe. Our students and staff are our greatest asset as evident actions by such as the student today who turned over the ammunition when they found it.
This evening if you become aware of a direct or indirect threat made against the District or other students in the Dryden Central School District, please contact local law enforcement immediately as school staff may not receive emails or voicemails until the next school day.
If we learn additional information about the ammunition in the coming days, we will keep you updated. Typically, this scenario is usually a result of the ammunition falling out of a bag or coat that was used during a recent hunting/camping trip or recreational shooting at a range. Again, in an abundance of caution, we are taking additional steps to ensure our community’s safety.”