Logan staff dispersed milling students after fights broke out. Principal Don Montoya ordered the lockdown, in which students are locked in their classrooms, at about 11 a.m. after a spate of fights erupted around campus during the morning hours.
Several sources told The Courier that administrators heard reports of a student in possession of a handgun, and locked down the campus while they searched the school.
At about noon, Montoya asked staff via email to look for a student apparently involved in the incident. At least one student who fit the description provided by Montoya was arrested for possession of a knife after a teacher notified administrators that a student fitting the description was in her room.
In dismissing the students from school after the lockdown, Montoya ordered them to immediately leave campus.
In a meeting with staff after school, Montoya said no gun was found.
Montoya told the students, via the public address system, that several students had been arrested for fighting and would be expelled. He said that there had been a rumor of a weapon on campus, but didn't say whether one had been discovered.
Montoya warned students not to fight with each other, or taunt and challenge each other, or they would face five-day suspensions and possible expulsion.
He said that the school received hundreds of phone calls from concerned parents who had been alerted to the incident and lockdown by their cell phone equipped children.
Montoya said that the trouble started when dozens of students gathered near the Alfonse Rodrigues Gym, where campus security officials broke up an impending fight. After that, the trouble moved to different locations of the campus, until fights broke out in the plaza in front of the 500 building.
"Some days being principal is easier than others," said an emotional Montoya, "This one is hard."
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