Weapon found in student’s backpack

TYLER – In a letter sent Tuesday to parents, Tyler ISD officials said a student was found to have a weapon in their backpack at Tyler High. In a prepared statement, school district spokesperson Jennifer Hines says, “An investigation is currently ongoing. The student was taken into custody and is currently at the Smith County Juvenile Attention Center. The student will face punishment in line with the school district’s student code of conduct, and the student could face charges brought by the Tyler ISD Police Department. As parents of our school community, we want to assure you that none of our students were put in harm’s way as the weapon was not displayed or used offensively.”

According to our news partner KETK, a staff member alerted school administrators and all students and staff are safe. No one was injured and an increased police presence was on campus while classes proceeded as normal. No further details were immediately available.