NJH student banned from school following social media post
A Navasota Junior High Student has been banned from school property after a social media photo appears to show the student in possession of a firearm on campus.
Navasota Independent School District released a press release Friday afternoon, Jan. 27, to notify the community of the incident. The press release stated NISD personnel were notified of a picture posted Wednesday night of a student in possession of a firearm. The photo was posted on the student’s social media account. NISD Superintendent Dr. Stu Musick said in the release, “We have reason to believe that we can prove from the picture that the student was on school property at Navasota Junior High when the picture was taken. We can not, at this time identify when the picture was taken. We did confirm the student was not present at school Wednesday.”
Musick said NISD and NJH staff met with Navasota Police Chief Mike Mize and the school resource officer. The investigation continued throughout the day. It was confirmed the student was not at school Thursday either.
The student and parent(s) have been notified that the student is prohibited from being on any NISD campus or property pending an upcoming expulsion hearing. Musick said the length of expulsion could vary depending on the reason and circumstances. “Unfortunately, we have had students expelled for other reasons in the past, albeit that is a rare occurrence.”
Musick stated a weapon was not found on campus. According to Musick there have not been serious discussion regarding metal detectors placed on campus for daily operations. “This is not an option we have wanted to pursue before. The costs and logistics of having metal detectors on campus(es) would be a concern of how to make that happen effectively and efficiently.”
“Our number one priority at Navasota ISD is the safety and well-being of all of our students and staff at all times,” stated Musick in the press release. “We will continue to do everything within our ability to maintain a safe and secure atmosphere where learning and other school events can occur. We encourage our community and our families to have discussions and communicate with your students as well as communicate with campus and district personnel to share any information that can help to maintain that atmosphere of safety and learning for everyone involved.”
NISD encourages open communication, this can also serve as a reminder that Navasota ISD and each of their campuses have, and promote, the anonymous tip line P3 Campus which may be accessed on any device through the app or online at https://www.p3campus.com.
OFFICIAL NAVASOTA ISD PRESS RELEASE
Friday, January 27th, 2023
Release of Statement Regarding Notification: To our Navasota ISD Family and Community –
Texas Education Code 37.015 requires a school district to notify law enforcement when the district has reasonable grounds to believe that the possession of any of the weapons or devices listed under Section 46.01 has occurred on school property, or at a school-sponsored or school-related activity on or off school property. The statute also requires that school personnel that are directly involved with the student in question be notified, as well. In the interest of transparency and professional communication, Navasota ISD believes that due to the seriousness of this offense, that this information should be shared with the community, as well. Below is the extent of the information that we can share at this point.
· Late Wednesday night, Navasota ISD personnel were notified of a picture that had been posted on a student’s social media account. That picture showed the student in possession of a firearm.
· We have reason to believe that we can prove from the picture that the student was on school property at Navasota Jr. High when the picture was taken. We can not, at this time, identify when the picture was taken. We did confirm that the student was NOT present at school on Wednesday.
· First thing Thursday morning, Navasota ISD and Navasota Jr. High met with Chief Mize and our School Resource Officer and continued the investigation together throughout the day. It was also confirmed again that the student in question was NOT at school on Thursday.
· That student and the parent(s) have been notified that they have been removed and prohibited from being on any Navasota ISD campus or property pending an upcoming expulsion hearing.
· To be clear, no weapon was found on campus and the investigation with Navasota PD is ongoing.
Our number one priority at Navasota ISD is the safety and well-being of all of our students and staff at all times. We will continue to do everything within our ability to maintain a safe and secure atmosphere where learning and other school events can occur. We encourage our community and our families to have discussions and communicate with your students as well as communicate with campus and district personnel to share any information that can help to maintain that atmosphere of safety and learning for everyone involved.
While we encourage open communication, this can also serve as a reminder that Navasota ISD and each of our campuses have, and promote, the anonymous tip line P3 Campus which may be accessed on any device through the app or online at https://www.p3campus.com Thank you for your continued support!
Sincerely,
Stu Musick, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools Navasota ISD