Knives confiscated from student at Santa Teresa Middle School

Update (1:30 PM): A spokesperson for Gadsden ISD says that knives were recovered and confiscated from a student at Santa Teresa Middle School this morning.

The Secure status was put in place to limit hallway limit as law enforcement and school administration handled the situation.

Read the full statement released by the district spokesperson below:

"Earlier today, Santa Teresa Middle School was placed on a Secure status while school administration and law enforcement responded to a report involving a student suspected of bringing knives onto campus. The student was quickly identified, and two knives were recovered and confiscated without incident.

While there was no active threat to students or staff, the Secure status was used to ensure that all students remained in supervised classrooms during the investigation. At no point were any individuals endangered, and the measure was purely precautionary to maintain campus safety and order.

Parents were notified at 11:19 a.m. through the Remind messaging system, alerting them that the school was in a Secure/Hold status. The hold was lifted at 12:01 p.m., and a second message was sent to confirm that normal operations had resumed.

This situation was managed according to the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) adopted by the Gadsden Independent School District. Developed by the “I Love U Guys” Foundation, the SRP outlines five clear actions used in school safety responses:

• Hold – Remain in classrooms; hallways cleared.

• Secure – Lock outside doors; continue normal activities inside.

• Lockdown – Lock inside doors; lights out, stay quiet and hidden.

• Evacuate – Move to a designated safe location.

• Shelter – Take specific safety actions for hazards like weather or chemical spills.

Today’s Secure status was used to limit hallway movement and keep students safely in classrooms while law enforcement conducted their response. This was not a Lockdown, as there was no threat inside the school.

The Gadsden Independent School District is grateful for the swift, professional response of the Sunland Park Police Department, and thanks the staff and students of Santa Teresa Middle School for their cooperation."

Gadsden Independent School District

SANTA TERESA, New Mexico (KVIA) -- A spokesperson for the Gadsden Independent School District says a Secure protocol has been lifted at Santa Teresa Middle School.

The school had been under the Secure status earlier this morning.

District officials say more details will be released soon.