ABILENE, Texas — A parent of an Abilene Independent School District elementary school student will be issued a citation for placing a handgun in their child's backpack, according to the Abilene Police Department.
An APD press release said on Friday, Dec. 17, officers were notified about a handgun at the Alcorta Elementary School campus. A student noticed the gun in their belongings when preparing to go home for the weekend, the release said.
The student told the teacher who then let authorities know. The gun was immediately secured by police.
A preliminary investigation shows the handgun was placed in the student’s belongings negligently by a parent, the release said. The parent will be issued a citation for making a firearm accessible to a child, a Class C misdemeanor.
There were no injuries or direct threats made to faculty or students in this incident and the APD said it worked closely with AISD to resolve the incident.
In a video call, AISD Superintendent Dr. David Young thanked the student who he said once they knew something was wrong, told a teacher.
The backpack was in a classroom locker for the better part of the day and was discovered shortly before students were released for the winter break.
Young said the handgun had bullets in its magazine, but none in the chamber.
The student was not aware that the gun was in the backpack, Young said.
A recorded callout from Alcorta's principal was sent to all parents and parents of students in the classroom were all contacted by AISD administration.
According to Young, the AISD does not believe the incident was related to a recent social media "challenge" that caused concerns nationwide.
AISD schools will resume classes Jan. 4.