Shawano police reported this week they were still getting a few questions and concerns from residents about reports that a Hillcrest Primary School student brought a gun to school Feb. 27.
Police confirmed that a 7-year-old student did bring a toy gun to school.
School officials said the plastic gun was something the student evidently brought as a kind of “show and tell” for his friends, but that there was no intent to use it to bully or intimidate anyone.
A photo provided by the Police Department shows the gun was small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, has an orange cap and measures less in diameter than an ink pen.
The incident was first reported to the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department, which received a call from someone who said the student brought a pistol to school and several other students claimed to have seen it.
Because the student resides in the city, that information was passed along to city officers, who went to the student’s home to investigate.
According to the police report, the student’s father took exception to the visit and claimed he was being harassed over a bogus complaint.
The report states the father continued to shout and use abusive language toward the officers and refused to calm down despite repeated warnings. He was ultimately taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct.
Authorities then spoke to the student, who handed over what turned out to be a toy gun.
Prior to that time, neither sheriff’s deputies nor police had seen the gun that had sparked the complaint.
“We had a report that a gun was brought to school and obviously we take these things very seriously,” Police Lt. Dan Mauel said.
Hillcrest Primary School Principal Troy Edwards said the incident was primarily a police matter and was not handled at the school.
However, he said, school officials did subsequently address the incident with the student, who explained why he brought the gun to school.
Edwards said the gun wasn’t intended to intimidate or bully anyone.
“It had orange on it, and you could tell it was a toy gun,” he said.
Edwards said the school’s policy on responding to such incidents depends on various factors, including whether a gun is real or fake, the age and grade level of the student and the intent involved.
Bringing a real gun to school would have had different implications for the student, he said, “than bringing a plastic gun to show off to his friends.”
Edwards said it was made clear to the student that even a fake gun was inappropriate. He said the school has had the same conversation with students about Halloween costumes that might include toy weapons, such as plastic swords and guns.
He said students at that age might not realize that “people take that seriously.”
Categories
