SALAMANCA, N.Y. — A 17-year-old teen has been charged in connection to an incident that happened during the Salamanca High School homecoming dance.
The teen, who is not being named because they are a minor, has been charged with menacing in the second degree.
The school confirmed the investigation by the Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office last week with a post on the school district website, providing more details and a sequence of events.
"As a result, a non-Salamanca School sibling of a student has charges pending and several students are facing discipline hearings," superintendent Dr. Mark Beehler said in the post.
Beehler said the incident began around 10 p.m. on Sept. 30, when three high school students harassed and chased another student out of the high school and into the parking lot. He says around 30 students followed to observe the incident.
"Our school safety officer, school administrator, and school resource officer also exited the building to manage the situation. The four students did not follow the directions given by the safety officer or the (school resource officer)," Beehler said.
At that point, school officials say another person — who is not a student at the school and who is a sibling of the person who was chased out of the building — got involved while brandishing a key ring knife.
A school resource officer then requested assistance from local law enforcement and engaged the sibling. Beehler says during a skirmish that followed, which lasted around 90 seconds, a student reported that a gun might be present.
No gun was found or recovered at the scene.
The teen was issued an appearance ticket to appear at probation services at a later date.
The school announced that going forward, additional safety measures will be implemented for all student events at schools and at Vet’s Park. Changes include students needing to preregister for school events — including dances and activity nights — and more staff and security.
There will also be an electronic weapon detection system at large events, and specifically for those at Vet’s Park. More lighting and more surveillance cameras will be added to the school campus and at Vet's Park, and "enhanced communication systems" will be used to help monitor school events going forward.
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