School district takes heat after first graders accessed gun in unlocked case

A school district in Ohio is coming under criticism after it was reported that a pair of first graders gained access to an unlocked case containing a firearm and allegedly picked it up, The Columbus Dispatch reported Friday.

According to the paper, the incident took place in March and involved students attending Highland Elementary School in South Bloomfield Township. 

{mosads}Vicky Nelson, the transportation director for the district, had reportedly brought her grandson, one of the students, to her office near the school. Nelson was reportedly part of the school’s concealed carry program, which was launched last year in an effort to protect students.

Her grandson was reportedly accompanied in the office by another first grader, the daughter of the district’s assistant transportation director, Christine Scaffidi.

Nelson reportedly stepped away from her office briefly to use the bathroom.

Shortly after, Scaffidi reportedly entered the office to find the firearm on top of the desk while the children were still alone in the room.

“I’m assuming that the child picked up the gun from behind the desk and had been holding it,” Superintendent Dan Freund told the newspaper.

A firearms trainer with a local sheriff’s office who helped train teachers and administrators involved with the program told the paper that “what happened there was not consistent with the training provided, the policies and procedures or the conditions of being on the [concealed carry] team.”

“That’s a big no-no. It’s inexcusable,” he continued. 

Following the incident, Nelson was reportedly removed from the school’s concealed carry program and was placed on a brief suspension.

According to The Columbus Dispatch, the district is currently reviewing the concealed carry program.