A seventh grader student was released to his parents after bringing an unloaded handgun to Cactus Middle School in the Casa Grande Elementary School District. Principal Kendra Tate says the gun was not loaded, but ammunition was found.

According to a post on the Casa Grande Police Department's Facebook page, Cactus Middle School officials called police at 10:48 a.m. after the 13-year-old student showed the gun to another student.

The student’s intent was to show the handgun to his friends, and police did not find any evidence to suggest intent to harm students or staff, the post stated.

Casa Grande police said that, he will face a full disciplinary hearing. Based on prior incidents, the discipline has been expulsion. The department will be referring the case to the Pinal County Attorney’s Office for review with the recommendation that the juvenile face charges of misconduct with a weapon and disruption of an educational institution.

The school principal sent the following message to parents:

"Dear Cactus Parent/Guardian,

This morning students reported seeing a student with a handgun at the bus stop. Upon arriving at school, the student witnesses informed the administration, and the gun was located without incident. The Casa Grande Police Department was called immediately.  As a school community, we appreciate the students who brought this issue to our attention.

Casa Grande Elementary School District takes student safety as our top priority. The District's policies are clear in not allowing weapons of any kind on our campuses. An infraction of this nature will result in severe consequences.

Parents, please take this opportunity to discuss with your child the seriousness of weapons. We urge parents to secure weapons in a manner that prevents them from falling into the hands of an unsupervised student.

Again, we take student safety as our top priority. For those parents wanting information about how our district handles weapon violations, there will be a meeting scheduled in the near future.

Sincerely,

Kendra Tate"

Also Read: Mesa's historic Alhambra Hotel to convert into student housing!

Nandini