by A mother told Channel 9 that an elementary student in Fort Mill threatened her son by posting a photo and video in a group chat of himself holding a gun.
The Springfield Elementary School principal said the boy may have picked up the gun on a school bus on its way home.
There is no information that has been released on how the student had the gun with him while in school.
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“We can’t even turn off the lights at this point,” the victim’s mother said. “They are scared. They don’t want to leave. They don’t want to do anything.”
The mother, who declined to be identified, said her seven-year-old son was threatened by the student at school on Thursday.
The school administration did not notice the threat until the end of the day.
The principal sent the parents a note informing them of the incident.
It reads, in part, “We have received a report that a student may have had a weapon on the bus after school. The district worked with law enforcement to verify the report, and the student responsible will now face disciplinary action and possible lawsuits.
The bullied victim’s parent thinks the gun owner is to blame.
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“It’s unacceptable and someone has to be responsible for all this mess,” he said. “It’s disgusting and it’s not safe.”
The student allegedly with the gun is believed to be 11 years old.
The school could not say how the student is being punished due to his age.
The mother said she no longer feels safe sending her children to public schools.
On Sunday, the district said reports of the incident did not include any information about a student being photographed with a gun on the bus.
“At this time we have been unable to confirm reports of the presence of a weapon, however, the individual in question is facing school discipline and possible legal action based on current information. I can’t share any more details due to privacy laws,” the district shared.
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Below is the complete statement sent to parents:
“Hello Springfield Elementary Parents,
“I am sending an email to inform you of a situation that occurred late yesterday afternoon. We have received a report that a student may have had a weapon on the bus after school. The district worked with law enforcement to verify the report, and the student responsible will now face disciplinary and possibly legal action.
“I would like to commend the student who came forward to report this incident and ask anyone with information like this in the future to report it to school staff as soon as possible. I also want to ask our parents to talk to their students about this type of behavior and the consequences of these actions.”
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