MACON COUNTY, N.C. – A fourth grade teacher at East Franklin Elementary School has been arrested and charged with bringing a weapon onto a K-12 campus.
The incident happened Thursday when someone told the campus’ school resource officer (SRO) that Jennifer Nicole Smith, 37, had brought a gun to school with her, reports WYFF4. The weapon was in her purse and had been left unattended. Another person found Smith’s purse with the gun inside. The SRO investigated the matter.
According to authorities, there was no threat to students or anyone else at the school at any point, reports Fox Carolina.
“While we acknowledge that this teacher is a respected member of our community, it is essential to emphasize that weapons are strictly prohibited on school grounds, with the exception of law enforcement officers,” Sheriff Brent Holbrooks told WYFF4. “Macon County Sheriff’s Office takes the safety of our children very seriously and we have a zero-tolerance policy on weapons on educational property.”
Smith has been charged with having a gun on educational property, which is a Class I felony.
Only a day after the North Carolina incident, in Pennsylvania, a Purchase Line School District security officer accidentally discharged his gun in the faculty room of Purchase Line Elementary School, reports TribLive. When the gun discharged, a round struck a refrigerator.
Gun Mishandling Happens Often at Schools
This past spring, Campus Safety reported on four incidents happening in four months where an armed school security officer or law enforcement officer accidentally left their gun unattended in a school bathroom or other K-12 campus area.
In the following article, weapons expert Lt. John Weinstein provides recommendations for addressing this problem. Although his recommendations are for police and armed security who are authorized to carry firearms on campus, some of his suggestions also apply to civilians.
