Lockdown lifted

At approximately 7:45 this morning a teacher at East Elementary School was notified by a student of a potential gun in another student’s backpack. The teacher opened the backpack and saw what she believed to be a handgun. The teacher immediately notified East Elementary Principal Amanda Sutton who secured the bag and placed the school on lockdown. Our School Resource Officer then took the bag, and upon initial observation believed it to be a handgun. Once he took it out of the backpack, he discovered that it was an airsoft gun. At this time, with the airsoft gun secured, there was no further threat and the lockdown, and perimeter lockdown of our Swain County Schools, was lifted and all activities have returned to normal. The investigation into the incident by Swain County Schools is ongoing at this time.