Letter from Bill Crittenberger, Head of School, Bishop Denis J. O’Connell High School, to parents regarding incident after homecoming game

For Additional Information: 
Contact Mary Shaffrey, Director of Media Relations
mary.shaffrey@arlingtondiocese.org

Dear Parents, 

I wanted to inform you about an incident that occurred after the Homecoming game on Saturday afternoon. A group of students observed a man with what appeared to be a handgun on campus after most people had left the game. There was no interaction between the man and the students, and he is not believed to be a member of the O'Connell community.      

The students alerted the administration right away. They reported the man was located in the area between the stadium entrance and the parking lot adjacent to the baseball field. Arlington County Police was called in and an officer immediately met with O'Connell officials on site. They were not able to find the man in question. The officer took a full report, searched the area and determined there was no threat to the O'Connell community.

The security and safety of our students and our families is a paramount concern of ours, and one we take very seriously.  The students were absolutely correct to bring the incident to the attention of school officials. If you ever see any suspicious activity at any time, please alert school officials immediately.

God Bless,
Bill Crittenberger
Head of School