Buffalo Common Council member Ulysees Wingo will not be allowed to attend his son’s graduation after he brought a gun into Riverside High School in May.

  • Councilman banned from school property for 18 months after bringing loaded gun into school
  • District attorney’s office not charging him
  • He will not be allowed to attend son's graduation

The Board of Education passed the resolution 6-3 Wednesday night, ruling that regardless of “title,” people are to be held to the same standard.

Wingo locked the gun in a school safe, so no criminal charges were filed, but he broke Buffalo Public Schools’ policy.

All nine board of education members spoke Wednesday, with Patricia Pierce being the only board member to switch positions. She was one of the original members to submit the resolution, which stated that Wingo would be suspended from school property at least 18 months.

Members, such as Paulette Woods, were unmoved from their original “no graduation” position, stating that if this were a student, the district would have suspended the student for one year and more than likely have a police report filed.

Pierce, Louis Petrucci, and Larry Quinn all voted that Wingo should be at the graduation: A father supporting his son.

There was a suggestion to draft a resolution that didn’t focus solely on Wingo, but that was denied.

The six who voted in favor all agreed that guns don’t belong in schools — period.