More News

Life quickly returned to normal at Richard Montgomery High School after the campus was locked down on Friday after unsubstantiated rumors began circulating that a student might have taken a gun into the school.

No weapon was found, but two students involved in a lunchtime fight were charged as juveniles with assaulting a third student.

Shortly before 1 p.m., more than 20 Montgomery County and Rockville city police vehicles descended on the school and students huddled together in the corners of their locked classrooms. Under a Code Red lockdown, students must remain quiet and locked inside their rooms.

But school let out on time and by that evening more than 700 students, staff and parents attended the "Mr. RM" contest, Principal Nelson McLeod told The Gazette.

Maj. Robert Rappoport of the Rockville City Police Department said two students, one age 16 and the other age 17, allegedly assaulted a third on a path near school during an off-campus lunch break earlier that day. No one had information on the grade the students were in.

The school is located a block from Rockville Pike and offers open lunch, allowing its students to walk off campus during their break.

The two students, who had been living in a group home for juvenile offenders on Maryland Avenue in Rockville and were originally from Baltimore, were transported back to Baltimore and are in the custody of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, Rappoport said.

Officials at the Department of Juvenile Services could not be reached for comment by press time Tuesday.

The two students will not be returning to the group home in Rockville, he said.

They have each been charged as juveniles with second-degree assault, theft under $400 and robbery, Rappoport said. They also allegedly stole the victim's iPhone and returned to class, Rappoport said.

Their names have not been released because they are charged as juveniles.

Rumors also have circulated that the incident was gang related, but neither police nor school officials could say whether it was.

A friend of the victim who saw the fight called the victim's mother, who then called the school, Rappoport said. It is unclear where the rumor started, but word began to spread through the school that one of the two alleged assailants who returned to school had a gun in his possession, Rappoport said.

Police identified the two students involved in the fight, pulled them out of class and questioned them about the incident, Montgomery County Public Schools spokesman Dana Tofig said.

Several lockers were searched as students remained on lockdown, but no weapons were found, Tofig said.

School closed for the day at its normal time of 2:10 p.m. on Friday.

On Monday, McLeod sent a letter home to parents describing the incident.

"There was a physical altercation during lunch off of school property, but concerns were raised that a weapon may have been involved and brought on to school grounds," he wrote. "Based on that information, we followed MCPS protocol and activated a Code Blue and then a Code Red to ensure the safety of the school community."

Schools can use the code system, even the highest level, Code Red, anytime they believe there might be a hint of danger to students or staff, Tofig said Friday.

The rumor of a gun in the building spread quickly as students communicated with one another and parents outside the building via text messages.

"We heard there was a student with a gun in the classroom," said ninth-grader Janie Frangione.

She said when the lockdown began, the teacher told the students to stay silent and at their desks.

"No one felt comfortable with that so we all went to the back of the room," she said. They tried to comfort their fears by making small talk, she said.

Glenda Johnson, who has two daughters and a sister at the school, said she received text messages saying, "Some guy brought some narcotics and a gun in the school."

Some parents concerned about their children showed up at the school before the Code Red was lifted.

Despite the strong police response, which included at least two canine units, both Tofig and McLeod said the school's reaction was appropriate.

Tofig said it is always better to exercise an overabundance of caution in situations like the one on Friday.