Police called after 5th grader brings gun, knife to class at MS Coast private school
A gun and a knife were confiscated from a fifth-grader’s backpack on Monday at Hope Academy in Gulfport.
The student told classmates about the gun and the classmates reported him to their teacher, principal Heather Blenden wrote in an email to parents about the incident.
“I immediately secured the child and the backpack,” Blenden said.
The principal found an unloaded gun in the backpack and Gulfport police were immediately contacted.
After responding to the scene, police conducted another search of the bag and found a knife and took the student into custody.
“Based on our findings, we are certain that this was an isolated case and that no individual student or staff member was in immediate danger,” Blenden wrote in the email. “The offending student will not return to the Hope Academy campus at any point in the future.”
Blenden asked parents in her email to check students’ backpacks daily and store weapons in a place out of reach of children.
“While we are deeply disturbed by the incident, it demonstrated that our students and staff were well-prepared, and that our protocols worked to keep everyone said,” Blenden said. “We will continue to evaluate these protocols and make adjustments if necessary.”
Hope Academy is an independent Pre-K through 8th grade school accredited by Midsouth Association of Independent Schools.
