Lawrence Administrators Discuss Fire at Middle School

The student who set a small fire in a bathroom of Lawrence Middle School was arrested and taken out of the school in handcuffs, according to a Lawrence schools administrator.

The student was apparently playing with matches and a lighter and set a fire in a sink, according to administrators. Another student witnessed it. The perpetrator has been suspended for the rest of the year.

“To me, it was a criminal offense,” Superintendent Gary Schall said. “When it comes to this and fights, we take a very hard line. There’s no room for error.”

Parents were concerned because the fire alarm did not go off, but Schall explained that although the bathroom is up to code, the code does not require a fire alarm in bathrooms.

“That’s a problem with the code,” he said. “It’s not out of negligence of the district.”