VIRGINIA — A Highland Springs High School parent is facing charges after police say she brought a loaded firearm onto school grounds Wednesday morning during a senior convocation ceremony.
According to Henrico County Police, at around 9:50 a.m. on Oct. 8, School Resource Officers (SROs) assigned to Highland Springs High were notified after a weapons scanner detected a possible firearm.
The woman, identified as 40-year-old parent Apryl Lyn Washington, had reportedly walked through the scanner while entering the school.
Officers and school staff searched Washington’s bag and found a loaded firearm, police said. She was cooperative during the investigation and was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon on school property.
Henrico Police said the incident appeared to be isolated and that there was no ongoing threat to students or staff. School officials confirmed that Washington is not employed by Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS).
This marks the second time a firearm has been detected by school scanners since the district began using the technology in the 2023–24 school year. Just a week earlier, on Oct. 1, a loaded gun was discovered in a 12-year-old student’s backpack at Fairfield Middle School.
“These weapons scanners proved successful once again in detecting a firearm on a person, prior to them entering a school,” said Henrico Chief of Police Eric D. English. “We are thankful for the quick actions of our SROs and school administrators for addressing this concern as expeditiously as possible.”
