Coast students playing with gun before school caught after classmates reported them
Biloxi schools Superintendent Marcus Boudreaux had the unpleasant task Tuesday morning of notifying parents that two students were playing with an unloaded gun at a school bus stop.
Boudreaux sent the email to parents at 9:52 a.m.
Boudreaux started with “Good morning,” then got to the point:
“This message is to notify you of a safety issue that was resolved this morning. It was reported that a Biloxi High and Biloxi Junior High student were playing with a weapon at the bus stop.
“Upon receiving this information, Biloxi Junior High and Biloxi High administrators immediately located and searched the students. One student was found in possession of an unloaded gun without a magazine or bullets.”
Boudreaux thanks students who “immediately came forward with this information and helped us take quick action in securing a safe environment.”
The email does not say where the student was with the gun when it was confiscated. Boudreaux said law enforcement officials are involved and the district will follow school policy in taking any disciplinary action.
District policy says any student found with a weapon, whether operable or not, on school property or a school bus “will immediately be suspended from school and recommended for expulsion.”
The Biloxi Police Department did not respond to the incident, Capt. Brian Dykes said. Instead, the school district’s police department is handling the investigation.
The school police department is a separate agency from the city’s police department, with it’s own chief and assistant chief.
Boudreaux closed his email by saying: “I would like to encourage students to always notify school personnel or a parent anytime they witness potentially dangerous behaviors or actions by others.
“Great job Indian Nation students!”
