Des Moines elementary student found with handgun at school, district says

Police were called to a west-side Des Moines elementary school Wednesday on reports of a student with a gun.

Des Moines Public Schools spokesman Phil Roeder said a Perkins Elementary teacher noticed a student acting suspicious and recovered a handgun from the child's backpack. The student, who police have said is in second grade, never took the gun out of the bag or threatened anyone with it, Roeder said.

"Thankfully, it was good work by the teacher, who saw something out of the ordinary, caught it and notified leadership at the school and they contacted police and security," he said. "(Police) brought the mother in and spoke with her, too."

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He said he did not know whether the gun was loaded.

The weapon was discovered near the end of the school day. Roeder said the child found the gun at home and brought it to school.

Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said detectives are working to learn how the child obtained the gun. It's not clear who owned the weapon, but if police can find out who allowed the student access to the gun, charged could be filed, Parizek said. 

Below is the letter parents of students at Perkins Elementary received following the incident: 

Dear Perkins families:

I am writing to make you aware of an incident that happened today. A student brought a weapon to school. Both the police and DMPS security were notified immediately when this was discovered, and were quickly on the scene to make sure everything was safe at Perkins.

While no one was threatened with this weapon or in any immediate danger, that does not change the fact that bringing any sort of weapon to a school is a very serious matter.

Parents, please make sure you know what your children have with them when they come to school. It is important for the safety of them and everyone at school. If a student does bring a weapon to a school, it can lead to very serious consequences for them and their parents.

It takes all of us — students, parents, and school staff — working to make sure we have a safe, strong community at Perkins. Your help in that is much appreciated. Please let me know if you have any questions.  

Sincerely,
Michael Derrick

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