Child brings 3 BB guns to Lincoln school, Northern Rhode Island Collaborative confirms
By Kirsten Glavin
@kirstenglavin
LINCOLN, RI – One Central Falls mother is concerned for her 8-year-old son’s safety after she found a BB gun in her son’s backpack Tuesday afternoon, when he came home from school.
"I was baffled. I think I was shocked,” the mother, who preferred to stay anonymous, told ABC6 News.
The 8-year-old is a student of the Northern Rhode Island Collaborative, a school system that caters to children with special needs and learning disabilities. He reportedly told his mother that a girl on the bus ride home put the BB gun in his backpack.
"I said, well, why did you take it?’ And he said ‘it’s okay mommy, she has two more.’"
The 8-year-old boy is a student at Emanuel Elementary, a small school in Cumberland with only four students. Emanuel Elementary does however share buses with other schools in the school system.
According to the Executive Director of Northern Rhode Island Collaborative, Joseph Nasif, the 12-year-old girl who put the gun in the boys backpack turned herself in the next morning. Nasif said she is a student from St Joseph’s School in Lincoln. She reportedly went to the Principal’s office before class and said she had “things she shouldn’t have” in her backpack.
"The Principal looked in the backpack and called the Lincoln Police Department,” said Nasif. "They found 2 bb guns."
Several BB’s were also found inside the backpack. Nasif told ABC6 News the girl was taken to Hasbro Children’s Hospital for a mental health evaluation.
Meanwhile, Saint Josephs School sent out this letter to parents about the incident:
The mother of the 8-year-old boy’s mother told ABC6 News she finds the letter vague and unhelpful. She elaborated, saying children in the Northern Rhode Island Collaborative school system have special needs, so merely talking with them would not solve the problem.
She added the school is responsible for keeping all children safe.
"It did not turn into something tragic, which is fortunate, but it could have been a different story today,” she said.
According to Nasif, the 12-year-old girl will be suspended for 10 days. He added the school will review the mental health evaluation provided by Hasbro, and then determine if the student will be allowed back.
In the meantime, he said staff will conduct mandatory backpack checks when each child arrives for the day. Nasif also intends to look into new training courses for employees to better equip them for spotting situations, similar to this one.
Central Falls Police and Lincoln Police are actively investigating the incidents.
