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Students do the right thing

The reaction by area students to two recent incidents at local schools needs to be recognized.

In the past week, Beaver Local dealt with a “non-functioning” gun and Wellsville dealt with a “threatening” picture posted to a social media site.

Neither incident appears to have been sinister in nature, unlike many nationally in recent years, including school shootings the past month in Kentucky and Texas.

The weapon discovered in the student’s backpack at Beaver Local was described as a starter’s pistol, like those used at track and field events. And the social media post was a photo uploaded to Snapchat showing a girl with a gun with the caption “Don’t come to school tomorrow.”

The gun apparently was not operational. The photo wasn’t even of the student who posted it.

In today’s society, both instances should have and were taken seriously. Both students were of the age that they should have known better — even if their intentions were harmless, the perception of “what could be” stirs the pot.

But what needs to be noted here is the reaction by their fellow students. In both instances, it was a student or students who stepped forward to notify school leaders. They should be commended for their responsible actions.

School officials and local law enforcement then followed proper protocol and any danger was averted. It was a successful ending.

Some communities have instituted a “See Something, Say Something” public policy, and it appears to have filtered its way into our schools.

We adults should take notice.

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