UPDATE 1/6/22 5:06 PM — A 17-year-old was arrested in connection with the incident. He is not a student at Binghamton High School and was charged with attempted murder and criminal use of a firearm, according to a police statement.
ITHACA, NY (WSKG) — A student at Binghamton High School was shot Thursday morning in an altercation near school grounds, according to a statement released by the Binghamton City School District. The teenager was transported to a nearby hospital and is in "serious but stable condition."
Binghamton High School, West Middle School, Horace Mann and Thomas Jefferson schools were placed on lockout, according to the statement.
The lockout was lifted for the middle and elementary schools, but students at the high school will not be permitted to leave school grounds until their dismissal at 3:00 p.m.
The shooting comes less than a month after the district introduced additional security measures at the high school following a series of serious behavioral issues.
Most recently, those incidents include an armed fight and a small fire set in a restroom. Schools around the region are also reporting additional behavior issues among students this year.
Those new security measures include a team of contracted security staff, metal detectors, bag checks and a sign-in sheet outside restrooms. District leaders said some students had been removed from the high school and enrolled in alternative schools nearby.
At a press event earlier in the day to unveil the new safety and security plan, District Superintendent Tonia Thompson said the district had received overwhelmingly positive feedback on the new measures.