A "very young" boy brought a broken, unloaded gun to Confidence Elementary School in Red House on Tuesday, but school officials say he didn't want to hurt anyone.

The student's teacher discovered the gun "first thing in the morning" when the boy opened his book bag, said Putnam County schools spokeswoman Karen Nowviskie.

"There were no bullets. There was no threat. There was no intent for harm at all," Nowviskie said. "It was a very young child who made a very bad decision to bring that [gun] to school to show it off."

The teacher alerted the principal, who then took "appropriate actions," including calling the boy's family.

Nowviskie said she could not disclose the boy's age or grade because of student confidentiality rules. She also would not say whether he was suspended or otherwise disciplined. 

"I really can't talk about what they do in terms of student discipline because of student confidentiality," she said.

The principal has been speaking with students and parents about the incident, but has not yet sent a letter home to parents, Nowviskie said. About 200 students attend Confidence Elementary.

"Quite honestly, something like this doesn't come up very often," she said.

Superintendent Chuck Hatfield emphasized that the student was very young, and said he made "a foolish mistake." 

 "No one was really in danger...I think it's just an isolated incident where a baby made a mistake," Hatfield said. "We take safety very seriously and we have lots of discussions with parents and students."

To contact staff writer Alison Knezevich, use e-mail or call 348-1240.

A "very young" boy brought a broken, unloaded gun to Confidence Elementary School in Red House on Tuesday, but school officials say he didn't want to hurt anyone.

The student's teacher discovered the gun "first thing in the morning" when the boy opened his book bag, said Putnam County schools spokeswoman Karen Nowviskie.

"There were no bullets. There was no threat. There was no intent for harm at all," Nowviskie said. "It was a very young child who made a very bad decision to bring that [gun] to school to show it off."

The teacher alerted the principal, who then took "appropriate actions," including calling the boy's family.

Nowviskie said she could not disclose the boy's age or grade because of student confidentiality rules. She also would not say whether he was suspended or otherwise disciplined. 

"I really can't talk about what they do in terms of student discipline because of student confidentiality," she said.

The principal has been speaking with students and parents about the incident, but has not yet sent a letter home to parents, Nowviskie said. About 200 students attend Confidence Elementary.

"Quite honestly, something like this doesn't come up very often," she said.

Superintendent Chuck Hatfield emphasized that the student was very young, and said he made "a foolish mistake." 

 "No one was really in danger...I think it's just an isolated incident where a baby made a mistake," Hatfield said. "We take safety very seriously and we have lots of discussions with parents and students."

To contact staff writer Alison Knezevich, use e-mail or call 348-1240.