By CATHERINE E. SHOICHET
Published August 20, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - Officials at a private school are investigating the discovery of a loaded .25-caliber magazine in a classroom desk.
The magazine was found by a student after first period ended on Wednesday morning. A search of the St. Petersburg campus of Broach School turned up no weapons, schools officials said.
"As our school policy dictates, we limited all students to their classrooms and conducted a thorough search of our campus, our classrooms, and all student backpacks and lunch boxes," director Bill Blimes said in a letter sent home Wednesday to parents.
Since no weapon was found, police were not notified.
That was a mistake, said Cheryl Sage, a part-time security guard whose son, David Daxson, is an 11th-grader at the school. When Sage found out about the incident, she called the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and reported it.
"I don't feel as though my son is safe in that school," she said.
A deputy went to the school Wednesday afternoon after Sage's call, said sheriff's office spokesman Sgt. Tim Goodman.
The deputy took possession of the magazine, which contained seven rounds, and made a report. The incident will not be investigated further, Goodman said.
Jennifer Parker, executive director for the Gulf Coast Broach Schools, said the school's director followed policy when the pistol clip was found.
"We'll continue to speak with parents and students, and keep our ears to the ground," she said.
Parker said it was the first such incident at the St. Petersburg campus since it opened in 2001. The Broach School has seven other campuses in Florida.
