By Barbara Augsdorfer, editor for the Effingham Herald

The student who was found with a gun in a backpack at South Effingham High School Feb. 28 is currently serving a state-mandated 10-day off-campus suspension, according to Effingham County School District Superintendent Dr. Yancy Ford. The 10-day suspension runs through March 14.

“We are pressing charges,” Dr. Ford said. Next steps include a hearing, which is not open to the public because the offender is a juvenile.

If found guilty, the student faces several consequences – possible one-year expulsion, fines, and imprisonment.

According to the district student/parent handbook, “Students who possess any weapon with threat or intent in violation of this (weapons) policy will be subject to a minimum of a one calendar year expulsion.”

According to Georgia state law, a person convicted of carrying a firearm on a school, or within a school safety zone, on a school bus, or at a school function, may be subject to a fine of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment of two to 10 years.

The school district’s safety protocols were implemented when another student reported the gun to a teacher who notified school administration. SEHS was placed on a Level 2 Lockdown while the school resource officer and law enforcement investigated.

Metal detectors were installed at both ECSD high schools March 3.