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A fourth-grade student at Pope Elementary has been expelled and is awaiting a juvenile court summons after he was found to be in possession of a loaded handgun at school on Monday, Sept. 13. An initial investigation by the Jackson Police Department determined the gun belonged to the child’s mother.
“We are grateful to the student who reported this incident to the teacher. The teacher called me immediately. The student at issue was removed from the classroom and the officers responded to our call very quickly,” Pope Elementary School principal Tracy Vowell said.
The now expelled student, a 9-year-old, showed the firearm to a peer while students were outside of class during a restroom break. Moments later, and after being removed from the class, the now expelled student produced the gun from his coat pocket to give to school officials once he was asked about the gun. According to Jay Stanfield, an investigator with the Jackson Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit who reported to the scene, the student is too young to be arrested.
“While we are thankful this incident ended without harm to students or faculty, we will take every effort to hold the child and his parents accountable. What happened at Pope School today should not be repeated. We’re reminding all parents to be diligent in both firearm safety and with proper oversight of their children. I am working closely with Judge Christy Little and the Madison County Juvenile Court to hold students and their parents accountable for actions like this,” Superintendent Dr. Marlon King said.
The student was released to his mother and grandmother. A petition will be issued today to summon the child and his parents to court later this month.
“Once again we see the good decisions of one student helping to minimize the poor decisions of another. We appreciate the prompt response of those students, educators, and law enforcement officers who acted to mitigate harm,” Dr. King said.