This story is somewhat hard to believe. Usually, when you hear about a child bringing a gun to school, it’s a story of fear and disillusionment, social angst and rage. But in this case, the child who showed up at school with a gun in their backpack had no idea it was even there! And they certainly didn’t plan to harm anyone with it. So how did it get into their backpack, and why was it there? This is something CPS and the cops are trying to figure out. And there’s a good chance this story won’t end well for someone…
A teacher found a gun in a 7-year-old girl’s backpack…
A teacher at Prairieview Elementary School was putting papers meant for parents into the backpacks of her special education students when she made a frightening discovery. One young student’s backpack contained a gun! The teacher told the principle and together they sat down with the little girl and talked to her about what they’d found. The conversation apparently went on for a long time, and in the end it was determined that:
- The little girl had no idea there was a gun in her backpack,
- She had never seen it before and had no idea how it got there,
- She had no plans or desires to hurt anyone at her school.
So how does a gun materialize in a kid’s backpack at school?
The gun, as it turns out, belonged to the girl’s father. But why was it at school with his daughter? That’s the million-dollar question. When police asked the father why he’d put his gun into his daughter’s school bag, he claimed he hadn’t. He said that he’d put the gun into his own bag and his daughter had accidentally taken the wrong bag that morning when she left for school. But further questioning of the teachers at the school revealed that the bag the girl brought to school that day was the same one she used every day. So who’s telling the truth, and who’s lying?
There was never any issue of safety at the school!
This wasn’t a typical “gun at school” situation. No one was harmed. No student ever saw the gun, and no one felt threatened. No one even knew it was there until the teacher happened to stumble across it. In an email to other parents, the principal explained why he’d chosen not to lock the school down. “The weapon was found by a staff member while placing papers in the backpack. No student saw the weapon in the school and at no point did the weapon leave the backpack… This is a very unfortunate incident, but there is no indication that there was any intent to harm anyone.”
That doesn’t mean the father isn’t going to have a lot of explaining to do!
The school has turned the matter over to the police for further investigation. And if the police are following procedure, any time a child’s wellbeing is affected by a parent’s potentially dangerous choices or negligence, CPS gets called in. As of yet, we have no idea what, if any charges this father might be facing. We also don’t know if CPS is going to step in and try to remove his children. But neither of those results would surprise us. Kids and guns are usually a very bad mix, and any parent whose negligence results in a child having access to a weapon (especially on school property!) is likely to have a lot of questions to answer.
CPS involvement usually doesn’t bode well for families
We don’t know the details of this story, or what went on behind the scenes. Was it an accident? Was it a miscommunication issue? We have no idea, and we’d encourage our readers not to speculate until all the details are available. Everyone is entitled to a vigorous defense in court, and not in the court of public opinion where no one ever has all the facts. So if CPS has shown up on your doorstep due to an unfortunate accident or misunderstanding in your home, call The Kronzek Firm at 866 766 5245. Our skilled CPS defense attorneys can help protect your parental rights and defend your family.