Sixth-grader caught with gun at school | Free News

Special-ed student, 14, didn’t threaten anyone with unloaded .22, school officials report

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An East Jones Elementary School student was caught with a gun at school this week, and the matter is being dealt with by youth court and school disciplinary officials.

The unidentified 14-year-old, special-education sixth-grader reportedly had a .22-caliber revolver in his backpack. The gun was unloaded and the student had no ammunition with him, several sources with knowledge of the incident said.

Superintendent Tommy Parker confirmed that the firearm was found in an EJE student’s backpack and said that Jones County Youth Court Judge Wayne Thompson had issued a pickup order for that student to be taken to the juvenile detention center. The matter will also be taken up by the school discipline committee, likely this week, Parker said.

School officials found the weapon because the student “appeared to be under the influence,” so his backpack was searched for drugs or alcohol. That’s when the gun was found. There were no reports of threats being made against students or school staff.

“It’s a very serious violation,” Parker said, adding that the penalty can be a one-year expulsion and placement at the alternative school.

But since it’s a special-ed student, there are federal guidelines to follow, Parker pointed out. It has to be determined if the violation is related to the disability, he said. 

The discovery of the firearm at the elementary school understandably had parents and school staff on edge, Parker said, especially in the wake of a tragic school shooting at a Christian elementary school in Nashville that killed three young children and three adults on Monday morning.

“We were going to ask the board to approve additional security at our elementary schools,” Parker said. “We had already come up with a proposal to present to them.”

School discipline and youth court proceedings are not a matter of public record.

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