School emails parents after officer’s firearm is accidentally discharged

School should be a safe place for children. Unfortunately, history has shown us that this is not always the case. Still, parents are confident that the government has measures in place to protect their loved ones in the event of an emergency and everything in between.

Accidents happen of course. But we generally trust authorities to prevent these accidents, not cause them. This was the exact opposite of what happened at a school in Delaware. The peace officer assigned to ensure the site was safe discharged his firearm in the middle of a school day.

A parent shared the shocking email they received from their daughter’s school.

A parent took to Reddit’s ‘Mildly Infuriating’ forum to share a screenshot of an email they received from their daughter’s school.

The shocking information was conveyed without much emotion.

Reddit

“We would like to inform you of an incident that occurred at school earlier today,” the email said. “While holstering his weapon, our school officer’s firearm was accidentally discharged in the hallway.”

“We are relieved that no one was injured and that students were safely in the classroom at the time,” the email continued.

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Somewhat ironically, the email described how important safety was to the school.

“The safety of our students and staff is always our top priority, and we have taken steps to review our safety protocols,” the report said.

“Thank you for your understanding and trust in us,” was the conclusion.

The parent later confirmed in a response to the report that the school was Stanton Middle School in Wilmington, Delaware.

The Delaware News Journal reported that the email was written by Stanton Middle School principal Matt Robinson. Robinson assured parents that a full investigation into the matter would be conducted. “We have contacted the Delaware State Police to begin a thorough investigation in accordance with district and law enforcement protocols,” Robinson said.

Other Reddit users who responded to the email were quite incredulous at this major lapse in security measures.

“Nothing can be more comforting than knowing that the gunfire at your child’s school was just an accident – ​​whoopsie!” someone said sarcastically.

Another added: “Thank you for trusting us,” said the school that should not be trusted.”

Yan Krukau | Pexels

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Some felt the school’s apology was lacking.

Some Redditors didn’t buy the idea that the officer was repositioning his weapon when it accidentally fired.

“What exactly does ‘repositioning his gun in his holster’ look like?” someone asked. “All my guns fit pretty snug in their holsters.”

“While casually playing with his gun, our school police officer casually fired a round in the hallway,” said another, editing the text of the email. “That’s where I fixed it for them.”

The Delaware News Journal also examined the likelihood of the gun firing in an accident.

“Unless a firearm has been modified, the only way to get a modern handgun to fire is to pull the trigger,” they said, noting that there is a firing pin block that prevents a pistol from firing without pulling the trigger .

“It’s also what makes accidental discharges in holsters relatively uncommon, but not unheard of,” she added.

With school shootings on the rise, this was undoubtedly a frightening situation.

Although nothing bad happened and no one was believed to be in danger, just hearing a gunshot at a school would be terrifying for students, teachers and administrators.

According to CNN: “There have been at least 69 school shootings in the United States so far this year, as of October 28. Nineteen were on college campuses and 50 on primary and secondary school grounds.”

These shootings caused 34 deaths and 86 injuries.

Thirdman | Pexels

With the possibility that a school shooting could already take place in the back of your mind, hearing a gun explosion must have been nothing short of terrifying.

While this was thankfully just an accident, it’s hard to write it off as such when the stakes are so high.

The parent who shared the email on Reddit said in response to a comment that they had heard the officer had been “released” but could not confirm that. Although it seems like harsh retaliation for an accident, the matter is so serious that this is the only way to deal with it.

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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango covering entertainment, news and human interest topics.