Bethel School Locked Down Wednesday Over Reports of a Weapon on Campus

On Wednesday (9/27/23) students at the Johnson School in Bethel reported seeing a weapon and the school was put on lock down.

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The Bethel Police Department adrressed the issue in a (9/27/23) press release that read:

"Today, during dismissal, students as Johnson School reported that they had seen another student with what appeared to be a weapon. Following the district safety and security protocols, the school was put into lock down and the Bethel Police Department was notified immediately. During the course of our investigation, the police were able to identify a student who was in possession of a facsimile or toy gun. 

Students and staff were safe at all times. The Bethel Police are grateful to the students for reporting the incident immediately and for the responsiveness of the staff in following district protocols. We also appreciate the cooperation we received from parents in ensuring that we could appropriately respond to the incident. 

This is obviously a very serious incident and Bethel Schools will have mental health staff available to speak with children if they would like to process the incident. All Bethel Schools will be running a normal schedule tomorrow."

Hearing about these incidents never gets easy. Yes, it was a toy gun and thank God for that but there is always a moment of terror when the schools need to be locked down. It's really amazing that these students today are so keyed in on what to look for. On the one hand, their vigilance is impressive but it's also sad to know that they have to live this way, they are kids and they should not have to shoulder this burden.

In an effort to protect our children we had to make them aware that danger could be around every corner. The solution to this problem is far beyond my reach but I do take comfort in knowing what kind of people are looking after our children in the Greater-Danbury area.

My kids have been in Danbury schools since they were babies so I've met so many teachers, security personnel and police officers who make safety their number one priority and follow the protocols to the letter.

The police and school staff in the Greater Danbury area are made up of some wonderful human beings. They're protecting our kids on a daily basis and should be commended for their efforts.