Clark-Pleasant Superintendent Tim Edsell speaks to reporters outside the administration building after a student was found on a school bus with a gun Wednesday.
Emily Ketterer | Daily Journal
A Break-O-Day Elementary School student was detained after he brought a gun onto a school bus, but did not make any verbal threats, school officials said during a media briefing Wednesday.
A Clark-Pleasant Community Schools bus driver discovered the student had a handgun in his backpack after another student reported seeing it around 8:45 a.m., Superintendent Tim Edsell told reporters. The student was described by school officials as an older elementary school-age male.
The bus was the only one parked in the Break-O-Day parking lot in New Whiteland at the time it was discovered. Once notified, the bus driver immediately reacted and got the gun out of the student’s backpack, and separated the student with the gun from the other students on the bus. School police were immediately notified and were there “on the spot” to detain him, Edsell said.
Edsell did not know why the student brought the gun on the bus or whether it was loaded, saying the investigation was ongoing. However, it appears that the bringing of the gun was intentional, he said.
Break-O-Day operated as normal Wednesday, and the incident did not impact the school day in any way, Edsell said. The other students on the bus acted “tremendously and appropriately” by notifying the bus driver, he said.
At no point was there a threat made by the student with the gun, Edsell said.
“The actions were very swift and appropriate for the students and our bus driver,” he said.
Right now, officials believe the student got the gun from home — which is troubling, Edsell said.
“I was very concerned that we have a student, that it’s an elementary age student that would bring a weapon to school,” he said.
When asked what his message to parents would be after the incident, Edsell said the district is going to follow protocol like they did Wednesday to make sure everyone is as safe as possible. The district also plans to educate students and families to make sure they realize it is not appropriate to bring a weapon to any kind of school, he said.
“This is a safe environment and that’s what it needs to be,” Edsell said.
There are also plans to re-discuss safety protocols with students at Break-O-Day. Edsell encourages students to report incidents of concern when they come up, and to say something if they see something.
“That’s what we have taught them. That’s what I know is taught throughout all of the State of Indiana is to report any incident that’s a threat, that has a firearm, that is a concern, and that’s what was done today. We’re thankful for those actions,” Edsell said.
Edsell did not know whether the student’s parents would face criminal charges in connection to the incident, instead saying it was up to law enforcement and prosecutors.
As for the student possibly being expelled or suspended, Edsell said the investigation is ongoing.
“We take it very seriously, and all of those decisions will be made very shortly,” he said.
Reporter Noah Crenshaw and Multimedia News Editor Emily Ketterer contributed to this report.
