One McDevitt Middle School student is facing criminal charges and a second may be charged after school officials found them carrying knives, Detective Sgt. Tim King on Tuesday.
One of the students, a 13-year-old whose name and gender is not being released, was charged with three counts of having a dangerous weapon on school grounds, King said.
Police are also requesting one count of having a dangerous weapon on school grounds against a 14-year-old McDevitt student, King said.
The students' names will not be released, as they are juveniles.
Police filed the charges on Jan. 22 as a result of an incident last month.
On that day, school staff found two folding pocket knives and a stainless steel pocket utility knife, similar to a Leatherman, on the 13-year-old student, King said.
When the 14-year-old was called to the school office, the student admitted to having a knife in his pocket, which was seized, King said.
The 14-year-old student said another student had given the youth the knife to hold onto, King said.
The 13-year-old student admitted to putting a knife in the other student's backpack, said King.
A third student was involved, but police only had enough evidence to charge the first two, King said.
McDevitt Principal Brad Morgan said school administrators handled the situation ``in a serious fashion.''
``We feel as though the school handed out serious consequences to those three students. In essence, we do everything we can to ensure the safety of the students and the staff in the building,'' said Morgan.
The principal said he could not discuss the specifics of the school's disciplinary action.
Administrators notified teachers about the knives, but did not lock down the school, which serves about 525 students, said Morgan.
Morgan made the decision in collaboration with Superintendent Peter Azar. The two did not believe a lockdown was appropriate, he said.
``In this case, we were told about it very quickly. We were tipped off before 8 a.m., before the school day even began,'' Morgan said.
``The problem with a lockdown is that it would entail a search of the entire building (for weapons),'' which has been done at the school, and at other Waltham schools in the past, Morgan said.
Police were involved immediately, he said.
Morgan said he could not give details about why the students had the knives, or whether they had made any threats.
Beyond education, providing a safe environment is the school's top priority, Morgan said.
There was no connection between the issue of bullying at Fitzgerald School and the students bringing knives to McDevitt, said Morgan.
``The rumor was, there was a supposed to be a fight after school that was not (with) a McDevitt or Kennedy (Middle School) student. ... But it was never a fight at the school, on school property,'' Morgan said.
Joyce Kelly can be reached at 781-398-8005 or jkelly@cnc.com.
WALTHAM —
