In a continual effort to give parents accurate information about events occurring at school, the Bedford Area School District would like to provide parents with information about the discovery of a small paring knife on a school bus this morning.  When the school bus arrived at Bedford Elementary School, an elementary student alerted the bus driver about a knife on the bus floor.  The driver secured the knife and immediately notified the elementary school administration and the State Police who were at Bedford Elementary on regular patrol.  The State Police and school administration began to investigate this incident.  Consistent with normal protocol, the elementary school administration notified the middle and high school administrators to assist in the investigation. 

After questioning numerous students, the school administration discovered who brought the knife on the bus.  Although we cannot release the specific discipline for an individual student, we can describe how the School District handles these incidents.  After a thorough investigation, the School District will seek criminal charges when a student brings a weapon to school and will immediately suspend the student for three days pending a meeting with the building principal.  During the three-day suspension, the building principal will meet with the parent(s) and student to provide a summary of the investigation and permit the student to provide pertinent information relative to the incident.  Following the meeting, the building principal may elect to extend the suspension for an additional seven days or seek to place the student in a different program where the student’s needs will be addressed.  If the building principal elects to place a student in a different program, the student will only return to the public school program after meeting significant goals demonstrating considerable improvements in the student’s behavior. 

If you have any additional questions, please contact any school administrator as necessary.