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Rauber Hill Sunrise, by Mel Hunt

Student removed from Wellsville today after weapon and ammunition found in car

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Wellsville Secondary school “Shelter-in-Place” has ended

By Andrew Harris

Wellsville school officials just notified the community and parents that this morning students in the secondary school were told to “shelter-in-place.” after an administrator saw a weapon with ammunition in a vehicle on school property.

Police responded, took possession of the weapon, and took an “adult student” into custody.

Once the school was again secure, students were released to continue a normal daily class schedule.

Wellsville Central School has a full-time School Resource Officer on the ground, Chad Green an officer with the Wellsville Police Department. Green was on duty today at the school.

This is the official statement from Wellsville Central Schools:

“This morning while attending to another matter, an administrator observed a rifle and ammunition in an unattended vehicle in the senior parking lot. The administration called an immediate shelter-in-place. Police responded and investigated. The vehicle was driven to campus by a high school student. The student was taken into police custody and arrested. Police authorized a return to the regular bell schedule and ended the shelter in place. 

I want to assure you students remained safe, and we are cooperating with the police. “

What is Shelter-in-Place? From the NYS Office of Children and Families:

Shelter in Place is a response to an emergency that creates a situation in which it is safer to remain in the building rather than to evacuate.

Generally, Shelter in Place means simply staying indoors. In some situations, sheltering in place includes additional precautions like locking all doors, closing all window shades, remaining in a room away from large windows or turning off heat and air conditioning systems. Most situations calling for sheltering in place are in response to events that have a relatively short duration of hours, not days or weeks. A Shelter in Place drill does not include an overnight stay and typically requires no more than a half an hour to complete.

Guidelines for Staying Put (Sheltering-In-Place)

Whether you are at home, work or elsewhere, there may be situations when it’s simply best to stay where you are and avoid any uncertainty outside.

There may be circumstances when staying put and creating a barrier between yourself and potentially contaminated air outside, a process known as “sealing the room,” is a matter of survival.

Use common sense and available information to assess the situation and determine if there is immediate danger. If you see large amounts of debris in the air, or if local authorities say the air is badly contaminated, you may want to take this kind of action.

The process used to seal the room is considered a temporary protective measure to create a barrier between you and potentially contaminated air outside. It is a type of sheltering in place that requires preplanning.

Lock doors, close windows, air vents and fireplace dampers.

Turn off fans, air conditioning and forced air heating systems.

Take your emergency supply kit unless you have reason to believe it has been contaminated.

Go into an interior room with few windows, if possible.

Seal all windows, doors and air vents with 2 to 4 mil thick plastic sheeting and duct tape. Consider measuring and cutting the sheeting in advance to save time.

Cut the plastic sheeting several” wider than the openings and label each sheet.

Duct tape plastic at corners first and then tape down all edges.

Be prepared to improvise and use what you have on hand to seal gaps so that you create a barrier between yourself and any contamination.

Local authorities may not immediately be able to provide information on what is happening and what you should do. However, you should watch TV, listen to the radio or check the Internet often for official news and instructions as they become available.


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