Meaghan M. McDermott and Donyelle Davis

Staff writers

A Rochester City School District teacher was arrested during a field trip with students and other adults to New York City in May after a loaded handgun was found in her purse during a security check at the Statue of Liberty.

According to the New York Police Department, Diane Watkins, 46, of Post Avenue had a .38-caliber handgun in her purse that was discovered during a routine X-ray check of personal items at the tourist attraction.

She was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, as she did not have a permit to carry a weapon in New York City.

Watkins was a social studies teacher at Rochester STEM High School last year.

"The District was aware that Ms. Watkins was detained during the trip to New York City, but she would not say why and we could not legally compel her to explain," the district said in a statement. "District and school officials learned of the charges against her in a communication from her attorney received the week of July 7th. The District is instructing Ms. Watkins not to contact students over the summer and will assign her to the Alternate Work Location when school resumes until this matter is resolved."

Superintendent Bolgen Vargas sent a letter to parents, students and staff at STEM High School on Friday. He said school officials "have no reason to believe students were ever in danger."

There were two other adults from the school and 10 seniors on the weekend trip.

Vargas said district policy allows only law enforcement officials or others who have express authority to carry weapons at school functions.

He noted there have been many questions about whether the district should have taken action against Watkins sooner. He said a "high-level" review of the circumstances is under way and that "it is clear to me that the situation could have been communicated and managed more effectively within the organization."

Watkins was among a group of parents, teachers and other activists who gathered on Wednesday at Rochester's School Without Walls on Broadway to decry a lawsuit filed earlier this week that seeks to strip teachers of tenure.

Speaking at the rally, Watkins said teachers need the due process protections of tenure because "tenure protects the efforts of us socially conscious teachers so that we can't be silenced so that we can rally with other parents in our community to protect our children."

On Friday, Watkins declined to comment about her arrest.

MCDERMOT@DemocratandChronicle.com

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