Alaska student accused of having gun during online classes

An Anchorage high school student has been arrested on accusations he threatened students and staff with a gun during multiple online classes, officials said.

The Dimond High School student attended several online learning sessions and disrupted them, police said. He made threatening gestures with a gun and used profane language before he was removed from the classrooms, said Anchorage School District spokesman Alan Brown.

The school district notified school-based police officers about the threats last Thursday, police said.

The suspect was then identified and arrested, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Charges were forwarded to the Department of Juvenile Justice, police said. The teen was not publicly identified because of his age.

“These types of online disruptions during any ASD online class setting are completely unacceptable and essentially cheat students out of learning,” Brown said.

Separately, two other teens were arrested after they used a gun to threaten an elementary school staff member, Brown said.

Schools in Anchorage started the year online because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Alaska reported 73 newly confirmed cases on Friday and there have been 5,403 confirmed in the state since March.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

But for some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.