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NAPLES, Uintah County — A student at Naples Elementary School threatened to bring a gun to school and shoot at least two students, but never brought a weapon on campus, police said.
A "disgruntled fifth grader" made the threats Wednesday after another student "said something that made him mad," said Naples Police Chief Mark Watkins. Officers learned about the threats after class was out for the day. They intercepted the boy Thursday morning before school.
"There was no threat to the school," Watkins said, adding that the boy did not have any weapons when officers made contact with him.
Police worked closely with school administrators and with the parents of the students involved to investigate the incident, according to Watkins.
"We need that cooperation so we can filter through what's going on and get to the core of the problem," he said. "It's great having an officer in the school because it really builds that rapport with parents and kids."
Shannon Deets, director of student services for the Uintah School District, said authorities have been able to determine that the student who made the threats does not have access to a firearm.
"We take every threat very seriously," Deets said, declining to talk specifically about what action the school district might take against the fifth grader.
The district conducts an assessment after any threat is made, Deets said, looking at a number of factors before determining how to discipline or provide services for a student. Some of those factors include the age of the student who made the threat, whether the student identified potential victims by name, the level of planning involved and access to weapons needed to carry out the plan.
"Our approach is not all punitive," she said. "Yes there are consequences, but we also want to help the student as well."
