A child who brought a gun to Stewartsville Middle School on Monday is not allowed back in school, at least temporarily.

"The student in question is no longer permitted on school grounds and will be educated elsewhere," Greenwich Township School District Superintendent Maria Eppolite said in a letter on Tuesday to parents.

Several students saw it and others heard about it, but middle school Principal Stephanie Snyder didn't learn about the gun until "well after the students were dismissed from school," the letter says. The child had the unloaded gun in school all day, the letter says.

"One of the most disturbing aspects of this entire incident is that not one student reported the incident to a teacher," Eppoliet wrote.

The middle school students attended mandatory grade-level assemblies Wednesday to remind them what to do if someone brings a gun to school and they learn about it.

Snyder "immediately" called Greenwich police when she heard about the gun. Police located and confiscated the weapon on Monday evening, Eppolite wrote.

Eppolite asked parents to speak to their children about telling a teacher if they see or hear about illegal substances, alcohol, firearms or other weapons in school or on a bus, she wrote.

"Fortunately, due to the quick actions of Ms. Snyder and the Greenwich Township Police Department, a major incident was avoided, but it could have been drastically different," she wrote. She added that it was "with great concern, frustration and fear" that she wrote the letter.

Township police didn't immediately respond to a reporter's messages requesting the status of the investigation.

Police and school officials on Tuesday morning spoke with "several" students who "were aware of the gun on campus," Eppolite wrote.

The assemblies turned out to be a learning experience for administrators as well as students, Eppolite said in an interview Wednesday afternoon.

The students at the sixth-, seventh and eighth-grade school had "concerns and anxieties" about reporting incidents in person to teachers or administrators, Eppolite said.

So the district is working on ways that students can anonymously make such reports, she said.

Administrators, from student feedback, also learned that parents read the letter and sat down with their children, as requested, she said.

"The parent community" is very active at the school and works well with teachers and administrators in solving issues, she said.

While the student who brought the gun is out of school for now, Eppolite said she wasn't certain if it was permanent.

"At this point we are not sure," she said.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.