‘If You See Something, Say Something’: students alert staff of guns on school grounds

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -Law enforcement continues to push the mantra: “If you see something, say something”; and apparently, many Bay County students are listening.

Two arrests involving students with guns on school grounds have been made in the last two weeks locally.

It’s thanks to some other very observant students reporting it to school officials.

With school shootings happening at an alarming rate in the country, students here in Bay County, seem to be stepping up to the plate.

It shows the maturity of the student that stepped forward and said something,” BCSO Public Information Officer said. “Because they’re taking responsibility for the conditions at their school. They say no. I don’t want that activity. In this case, this student said, no I don’t want there to be any gunfire on my campus. I don’t want guns on my campus. I want to have a safe place to come and learn.”

Bay District School Safety Coordinator, Vern Barth, said students are acting, to prevent what could be, a deadly situation.

“I think the unknown is really pushing them to do the right thing,” Barth said. He added that parents are also pushing their kids to speak out when they see guns on school grounds. “I think a lot of the parents are reaching out to them and sitting them down and saying, ‘Hey listen, you need to tell an adult, you need to tell somebody.”

For Bay County, it’s clear some students are making sure guns stay off of school grounds. But if they do make it on campus, and students see suspicious behavior, they’re ready to say something.

For more information on how to stay informed about suspicious activity in Bay County, click here.

To report suspicious activity, click here.

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