All Manassas Park City Schools were closed Monday after an employee found a loaded handgun in the middle school parking lot, the district says. A high school teacher was taken into custody and charged.
A transportation employee found the gun at about 6:30 a.m. in the parking lot of Manassas Park Middle School, between two district vans, the district said in a social media post.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we made the decision to close all schools for the day to allow the Manassas Park Police Department sufficient time to conduct a thorough search and investigation,” the post said.
The district said they were not aware of any threat anyone made related to the gun. They thanked the employee who spotted the gun during a morning safety check and reported it immediately.
Manassas Park police said Monday afternoon that Veronica Gooch-Ray, of Potomac Falls, was charged with possession of a firearm on school property. She’s an art teacher at Manassas Park High School, police said.
“The investigation revealed that there is no threat to the schools or community,” police said.
No details were immediately released on how the gun ended up in the parking lot.
Manassas Park City Schools has four schools and about 3,500 students.
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