URBANDALE, Iowa — A vaping investigation turned into an alarming discovery of a handgun in a student’s backpack at the Urbandale High School on Wednesday.

Parents of students in the district received an email from school leaders about the incident. The email states that school staff escorted two students to the office to discuss suspected vaping. School staff and a school resource officer searched both students and found a handgun in one of the student’s backpack. The student was apprehended and left the school with law enforcement.

The school said it does not believe the student who brought the gun had made any threats toward students or staff.

You can read the school’s full email below:

UCSD Families and Staff,

When a school security incident occurs in our school district, we send a notification to all district families and staff in order to help keep everyone informed. Although you may not have a child in the school being impacted by the security incident, you will still receive a notification informing you of the situation. Please see the notification below and know that all students and staff are safe.

This afternoon, Urbandale High School Administration escorted two students to the office based on a suspicion of vaping. One of the student’s behavior escalated quickly while in the administrator’s office which prompted administrators to involve our School Resource Officer. Our School Resource Officer and UHS Administrators searched the students and confiscated a handgun in one of the student’s backpack. The student was apprehended and left the building with law enforcement.

While we are still investigating this situation, we believe the student who brought the gun to school did not make threats toward any students or staff at the high school. We will follow appropriate disciplinary actions per Board Policy for the student involved.

We talk extensively with our students about the importance of keeping our schools safe and secure. Please continue to encourage your child(ren) to always say something if they see or hear something that may impact the safety of our school environment. We will always investigate a concern, and when needed, we’ll request the assistance of law enforcement to ensure our school remains a safe and secure place for learning.

Dr. Rosalie Daca, superintendent of Urbandale Schools