New London — Police arrested two New London High School students Friday for allegedly bringing a pellet gun into the school and prompting a 40-minute lockdown. It was the second time in three days that a student was accused of bringing a weapon into a city school.

The two incidents are an "unfortunate blemish" on the school system, Superintendent of Schools Manuel J. Rivera said, adding that the district is constantly evaluating its detailed procedures for addressing such situations.

"We will continue to review them and we will tighten things up where we can," Rivera said. "Thank God no one was hurt in either of these. And in a real live emergency, we were able to revisit our procedures and know the adjustments and corrections we need to make going forward."

One of the incidents this week "could have been avoided if an adult had their weapon properly locked up at home," Rivera said. "We need parents involved as well in providing close guidance to their children and young adults."

At 11:10 a.m. Friday, a student reported seeing another student put what appeared to be a handgun into his backpack, acting Police Chief Peter Reichard said. The first student then reported it to a teacher and New London High was put into lockdown.

Staff called 911 and then informed the school resource officer, who obtained a description of the student in question and assisted officers and school security, Reichard said.

Police officers and school administrators "conducted a systematic search of the entire school facility," Reichard said. To assist police, district staff monitored live images from the school's surveillance cameras and reviewed taped footage to track the path of the student being sought, district Chief of Operations Tim Wheeler said.

About 10 minutes into the lockdown, the district sent a "robo call" to all high school students' parents informing them of the situation, Superintendent Rivera said.

Police initially charged a 17-year-old student who was apprehended by police behind the high school football field. He is charged with carrying a dangerous weapon and second-degree breach of peace. Police found a black and pink toy pistol capable of firing plastic pellets near the student, Reichard said.

The continuing investigation led to charges against a 14-year-old student in connection with the pellet gun incident. He also was charged with second-degree breach of peace and carrying a dangerous weapon.

Both students were released to their parents with a summons to appear in juvenile court.

Reichard said no threats were made to the school, which was declared all clear at 11:49 a.m. "Rest assured, you are all safe," a voice on the school's public address system said.  

Principal William "Tommy" Thompson III, in a public address announcement to the school during the final period of the day, said he was proud of the way students and staff responded to the situation Friday morning.

"Knowing that schools are not prisons, you rely on all members of the school community (staff, parents, and especially students) to say something when they see something," Thompson said, according to a transcript provided by the district. "We had students, that because of quality and positive adult relationships, felt comfortable enough to report something to adults in our building."

Thompson added, "I want to thank all of you for responding in a serious manner. There is no doubt there will also be opportunity to grow and get better from this experience."

Rivera, too, said he was pleased with the way the school handled the situation Friday.

"I'm very proud of the way that this was managed by the staff, and most importantly, by our students," he said. "The expression 'if you see something, say something'  — that's exactly the kind of environment we're trying to create; one that is proactive and focuses on prevention."

Friday was the second time in three days that a student allegedly brought a weapon to a city school.

On Thursday, an 11-year-old boy was arrested and suspended from the Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School after a gun he brought to school Wednesday accidentally discharged in the boys' bathroom. A teacher who had been alerted by a student found the gun in the bathroom shortly after dismissal. Everyone still in the building was moved to a secure room while police conducted a search, the district said in a news release earlier this week.

"In that particular case there was dismissal, so three-quarters of the kids or more were outside the building, on buses or starting to walk home, so the immediate reaction was to secure those people still in the building," Rivera said. "We are reviewing that in detail in regards to the procedure, but we look at each one of these on an individual basis based on the circumstances."

Rivera said he convened a meeting of all district principals on Thursday to discuss the incident at the middle school and to review the district's protocols for similar situations.

The superintendent said he and his staff are currently conducting an "internal forensic review" of both incidents to fine-tune every aspect of the response — from the way principals and the central office communicate to the debriefing messages that are sent to parents.

The district is planning to conduct a daylong table-top exercise with the police and fire departments to better coordinate a response to various scenarios and is working with each school to make sure it has updated phone numbers and email addresses for parents, Rivera said. Parents, too, can play a role in school safety by talking to their children about what is and is not appropriate, he said.

Day staff writer Greg Smith contributed to this report.

c.young@theday.com

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Editor's note: Comments have been disabled on this article as police are not identifying the students charged.