Hannah Sparling

hsparling@enquirer.com

When kindergarten students have a loaded gun at school, it’s a “symptom of the community.”

That’s Superintendent Eugene Blalock’s thought after what happened Wednesday during dismissal at North College Hill Elementary. It was about 2 p.m., and a group of four or five kindergarten students was caught playing with a gun. Other students told the teacher, who confiscated the weapon and alerted police.

No threats were made and no one was injured. Police have the gun, and the incident remains under investigation.

“As far as moving forward, we say a blessing that nothing happened (with the gun),” Blalock said. “I worry about how unfortunate it is that a 5- or 6-year-old can get their hands on a weapon. … I think what we’re dealing with is symptoms of the community.”

On Friday, Blalock issued a statement explaining why the school kept information about the incident quiet until the media began reporting from public police records on Thursday.

"A decision was made Wednesday night at approximately 6:30 p.m. to not share any information until we had a better understanding of the facts," Blalock said. After interviewing parents of the student suspected of bringing the gun, he said it was determined that student could not have done it.

"The plan was to search every student’s book bag in the classroom and interview the other students who may have come in contact with the gun to see if we could determine the origin of the gun on Thursday morning," Blalock said. "What we did not want to do is alarm the community with a very inciting one-liner (i.e. Gun found in Kindergarten Classroom) or having parents questioning students before we had the opportunity to question them during our investigation."

The statement on Friday did not reveal if school officials or police have determined which student brought the gun. Blalock did state that none of the students who came in contact with the gun told their parents when they got home.

"This tells me that we have to do more as a community to teach our students about the dangers of guns," he wrote.

The weapon in question is a small, semi-automatic handgun, possibly a 25-caliber weapon, Blalock said. There were two bullets in the gun’s clip but none in the chamber, so it would not have gone off if one of the children pulled the trigger.

“It might even look like a toy to some kids,” Blalock said, “but it was definitely a real weapon. … I praise the students who did the right thing by speaking up and alerting the teacher. I commend the teacher for staying calm and handling it in the right way.”

North College Hill City Schools made headlines in March when five high school students were arrested after what then-Superintendent Gary Gellert called a “very serious fight.” A 30-second security clip from that incident shows students walking in a large group behind the school. Two students start fighting, and others immediately jump in.

All told, approximately 100 students were involved in that fight, according to a police report. One boy got a concussion after he was kicked in the head, and two days later, the school was on lockdown most of the day after one of those involved threatened to bring a gun to school and “finish the job.”

Blalock, who is in his first year as superintendent at North College Hill, has made safety a priority of his administration. He launched regular “It Takes a Village” walks, where North College Hill staff and community members are encouraged to walk home with students. The walks are meant to build relationships, foster trust and instill a greater sense of common purpose.

The district also recently launched a hotline for people to anonymously report threats or bullying.

After Wednesday’s incident, Blalock sent a letter to parents, telling them what happened and pleading with them to talk to their children about safety.

“Parents, we need your help,” he said. “We need to make sure our students are safe, and we need to make sure you’re having conversations with your kids.”