Abilene police: Handgun found in Abilene ISD student's backpack put there by parent

Timothy Chipp, Abilene Reporter-News
·2 min read
The Abilene ISD Board of Trustees met Monday, April 8 to review first steps in creation of the 2025 fiscal year budget, receive recommendations for action on surplus facilities and highlighted achievements of students, staff and programs.

Abilene police said a handgun was found in a student's backpack at Alcorta Elementary

School on Friday.

Police said in a statement Friday afternoon the weapon was negligently put in the child's backpack by a parent.

According to Abilene ISD Superintendent David Young, the weapon had bullets in the magazine but none in the chamber.

That parent was issued a misdemeanor citation for making a firearm accessible for a child.

The firearm in question was immediately secured by police on campus, police said.

No one was injured in the incident, police said.

Alcorta Elementary formerly was Jackson Elementary in south Abilene.

The child noticed the weapon while gathering belongings to go home for Christmas break, which began at the conclusion of school.

Abilene ISD officials scheduled a Friday afternoon Zoom call to discuss the incident.

Young praised the student, who did the appropriate thing something that wasn't normal was discovered.

"An important piece here is that we have a student that did the right thing at the first available opportunity," Young said. "It is important that every person that walks onto a campus every day, whether they be an employee or a student or a parent, feel like they are a part of the safety and security going on on that campus.

"So, it is very important that when someone ... sees something that's out of the ordinary or shouldn't be, when they see something, they say something to the appropriate people. That is a very foundational principle of keeping kids and staff safe on a daily basis."

Young said the incident did not appear related to a viral social media "threat" posted to popular video website Tik Tok on Thursday that put schools across the country — including the Abilene ISD — on high alert for the final day of school before Christmas break.

Young said the district ramped up security across its campuses in response to the threat, which marked the third consecutive week AISD has had to do such things after two threats at Abilene High.

Threats of violence against schools has increased since a 15-year-old student killed four and injured several others at a suburban Detroit high school Nov. 30.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene police: Handgun found in Abilene ISD student's backpack