Serious Safety Concerns Arise Over Target Shooting Near Elementary School
May 31, 2024 — by 775TimesTeam in 775Times, Articles
🚨 Attention WCSD Community🚨
Recent incidents near Nick Poulakidas Elementary School involving target shooting in nearby rural areas have necessitated multiple shelter-in-place protocols. This poses serious safety concerns for students and staff.
Students and staff members at Nick Poulakidas Elementary School in southeast Reno have been forced to shelter in place multiple times during this school year after target shooters fired their rifles in the rural meadow and foothills adjacent to the school. As a result, the Washoe County School District is reminding members of the community to check county maps to determine if they are illegally shooting in congested areas.
“Shooting in congested areas, especially around schools, is extremely dangerous,” said Reno Police Officer Chris Johnson. “It puts schools on lockdown, and you could potentially injure the students here or property in the area from a ricochet or an errant shot. So make sure that when you are shooting, you are outside of a congested area. And if you’re in a restricted area, you have be at least 5,000 feet from the nearest building or structure.”
Poulakidas Elementary School Principal Chantal Lee says it’s an ongoing problem. When she and her staff hear gunshots nearby while students are playing outside, they use binoculars to try to spot and identify whoever is responsible for firing the weapons nearby.Â
“Just yesterday, we had a vehicle pull up into the area behind the school,” said Chantal Lee, principal of Nick Poulakidas Elementary School. “The individuals pulled out some firearms to start engaging in target practice. We did not have to call a secured campus, because another person pulled up and we think they informed the shooters that this is a congested area—as posted on a sign—and they cleared out.”
The possibility of someone—students, staff members, walkers, or nearby residents—being injured or killed by gunfire isn’t the only threat: A stray bullet could strike a rock or piece of metal and spark a potentially devastating brushfire. #reno #washoecounty #wcsd #nevada #education
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