MENOMONEE FALLS — Menomonee Falls School District officials say a handgun was mistakenly put into a student’s backpack and brought to an elementary school last week.
The incident happened last Friday at Shady Lane Elementary School.
In a letter sent home to parents, school district officials say the student did not know the gun was in their backpack.
The school district says a teacher found the gun in the student’s backpack while they were placing something in it. A support staff member brought it to the school office, contacted police -- and the gun was "never revealed or taken out while in school.”
The Menomonee Falls School District will hold a news conference regarding the incident on Monday at 3:45 p.m.
You can read full letter sent to parents from the school district below:
Dear Falls Families,
I want to inform you of a situation that occurred at Shady Lane on Friday. A handgun was mistakenly put into a student’s backpack and brought to school.
The student did not know it was in the backpack and it was never revealed or taken out while in school.
It was discovered by the student’s teacher while placing something in the student’s backpack and a support staff member immediately brought it to the office. The police were contacted and came to school where they began their investigation.
The conclusion is that the handgun was inadvertently put in the wrong bag, the student’s backpack. The student did not know it was in there and did not bring it to school to harm anybody or even to show anyone. Although it was a mistake, it was clearly a negligent one and the Menomonee Falls Police Department is handling the situation from a legal standpoint.
This student was not a perpetrator of a crime, but caught in the middle of a potentially traumatic experience for a young student.
Shady Lane as with all of our schools is an exceptional place to learn. Our focus is the safety of children at all times, nobody was hurt, there was no intention to do harm. The staff reacted professionally and appropriately to ensure the safety of everyone at school.
We have great schools and great families here in Menomonee Falls and we thank you for being a part of our family.
Sincerely,
Megan Sheridan
Director of Communication & Community Outreach
School District of Menomonee Falls
