Loaded weapon found at High Point Central High School

88.5 WFDD - Public Radio For The Piedmont | By Bethany Chafin

Published August 28, 2025 at 2:14 PM EDT

Metal detectors at a school entrance in Winston-Salem.

School officials found a loaded handgun at High Point Central on Thursday morning. A 16-year-old student was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm on educational property, possession of a handgun by a minor and carrying a concealed gun.

According to the High Point Police Department, a staff member discovered the handgun wrapped in a sweatshirt inside a backpack when the student walked through a weapons detection scanner.

Guilford County Schools says High Point Central and Sylvia Mendez Newcomers School were both placed on a brief lockdown.

Bethany Chafin

Bethany is WFDD's editorial director. She joined the staff in the fall of 2012. She received her B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from Wake Forest University. Between undergraduate studies and graduate school, Bethany served as the intern to Talk of the Nation at NPR in D.C., participating in live NPR Election Night Coverage, Presidential debate broadcasts, regular Talk of the Nation shows, and helping to plan the inaugural broadcast of ‘Talk of the World.' She enjoys engaging with her interests in books, politics, and art in the interdisciplinary world of public radio. Before becoming editorial director, Bethany was assistant news Director, a reporter and associate producer for WFDD's Triad Arts and Triad Arts Weekend. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Bethany enjoys calling the Piedmont home.

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