A preschool student at Schwarzkoff Elementary School in Sterling Heights brought a handgun to school in a backpack on Tuesday, May 19.
As students entered the school in the morning, a Macomb County Action Head Start preschool teacher observed what appeared to be a weapon in a student’s backpack, according to a letter sent to the school community from Principal Amber Fante.
“The teacher followed safety protocols and took immediate action to secure the backpack without alarming the students,” according to the letter.
The teacher sent the backpack to the office, where it was confirmed that a weapon was in the bag, according to the letter. The Sterling Heights Police Department was contacted immediately and identified the object as a handgun registered to the child’s parent, according to the letter from Fante.
Police responded to the school at approximately 8:15 a.m., according to a news release from the Sterling Heights Police Department.
The preschooler “indicated that they did not know that a weapon was in the backpack,” according to the letter from Fante. The student is not in the school building following the incident.
“We would like to commend the teacher and our staff for taking immediate action,” according to the letter. “As you know, Utica Community Schools has strict protocols to ensure the health and safety of our students. These protocols and the diligence of our staff ensured the safety of our staff and students.”
The Sterling Heights Police Department Youth Bureau is working with the Utica Community Schools administration and school staff to investigate the incident and determine how the student came into possession of the handgun, according to the Sterling Heights Police Department.
There is no active threat to the school community or to students and staff at Schwarzkoff Elementary School, according to the police department.
Any potential criminal charges will be investigated and submitted to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office for review, according to the Sterling Heights Police Department.
“Gun ownership is a very big responsibility,” said Sterling Heights Lt. Aaron Susalla. “Make sure you are aware of where your firearm is at all times and properly store and secure it.”
Contact Natalie Davies at ndavies@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sterling Heights preschooler brought backpack with gun to school
Reporting by Natalie Davies, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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