Police praise ‘brave’ elementary school student for bringing meth to school to report parents

Instead of bringing a bag of lunch from home, a local Washington elementary school child brought a bag of meth to class— and turned it into his principal. The boy brought the drugs to Edison Elementary to ask for help, according to the Kennewick Police Department.

Now, local authorities are praising the “brave” young boy for having the courage to turn in his own parents.

“We would like to acknowledge the courage that it took for this child to bring this information to a trusted adult at the Kennewick School District,” reads a post on the Kennewick Police Department Facebook page.

The Edison Elementary school principal and an office administrator were dumbfounded when the boy handed over what appeared to be a small plastic bag of methamphetamine. The boy reportedly found the drugs in his home Wednesday morning, and brought it to school because he was “afraid to return home.”

“This particular child was brave for coming to us with this, Lt. Aaron Clem of the Kennewick Police Department told Yahoo Lifestyle. “It’s difficult, especially for an elementary school kid, to report this kind of thing when it involves a family member.”

After providing additional information to a Kennewick Police Department School Resource Officer about his parents’ behavior, the detectives went to his home where they found they found fetanyl pills, also known as 'Mexis,' and other drug paraphernalia inside the residence. The photo the Kennewick Police Department posted on Facebook shows a law enforcement officer holding up a piece of aluminum foil with black lines on it— a clear sign of fetanyl pill usage.

“I suspect that he had seen the drugs before, which is why he knew to bring them to school,” says Clem.

Authorities then arrested the boy’s parents, Jennifer Edwards, 29, and Daniel O’Leary, 29 for possession of a controlled substance. They are currently booked at the Benton County Jail.

Neighbors of the boy and his family say they were shocked to hear the news.

“For a child to take it to school is really alarming,” one unidentified neighbor told local news station KWQC .

According to local authorities, the boy and his sister have been placed into protective custody and released to Child Protective Services, that Clem says will find the siblings a “suitable home.”

“We hope that since he’s done this that he and his sister are going to live in a safer and environment and that the adults they get the help that they need,” Clem tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

According to Lt. Clem, the Benton County prosecuting attorney will evaluate the case later this week to see if there are any other possible charges, like child endangerment.

He adds that he hopes that other children who may feel unsafe at home will feel empowered to come get help from any “trusted adult.”

“If there’s ever any elementary child, or older, that sees something at home, they can always find a trusted adult— whether it’s at school, a fire department or the police department— and get the help that they need or with any concerns that they may have,” says Clem.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• Mom tests positive for opiates after eating everything bagel with poppy seeds

• Texas mother busted for allegedly stashing marijuana in her child's backpack during school drop-off

• Police send warning to parents after finding $90K worth of meth featuring 'Frozen' characters

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.