Delaware School Informs Parents Via Email That The School Constable's Firearm 'Accidentally Discharged In The Hallway'
The school didn't handle the situation quite as well as it could have. Then again, what do you do when this happens?
Ground Picture | Shutterstock School is supposed to be a safe place for children. Sadly, history has shown us that's not always the case. Still, parents have faith that the administration has measures in place to protect their loved ones in case of emergencies and anything and everything in between.
Accidents happen, of course. But we typically trust authority figures to prevent those accidents, not cause them. This was the exact opposite of what occurred at one school in Delaware. The peace officer tasked with making sure the grounds were 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 delivered without much emotion.
Reddit
“We want to inform you about an incident that took place earlier today at school,” the email read. “While repositioning his weapon in his holster, our school constable’s firearm accidentally discharged in the hallway.”
“We’re relieved to share that no one was hurt, and students were safely in class at the time,” the email continued.
Somewhat ironically, the email went on to describe just how important safety was to the school.
“The safety of our students and staff is always our highest priority, and we have taken steps to review our safety protocols,” it said.
“Thank you for your understanding and trust in us,” it concluded.
The parent later confirmed in a comment on the post that the school was Stanton Middle School in Wilmington, Delaware.
The Delaware News Journal reported that the email was written by Stanton Middle School’s principal, Matt Robinson. Robinson assured parents that a full investigation would be made into the matter. “We have contacted Delaware State Police to launch a thorough investigation in accordance with district and law enforcement protocols,” Robinson said.
Other Reddit users who commented on the post with the email were fairly incredulous about this major lapse in safety measures.
“Nothing could ever be more comforting than knowing that the gunfire at your child’s school was just accidental — whoopsie!” one person said sarcastically.
Another added, “‘Thank you for trusting us,’ said the school that should not be trusted.”
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Some found the school’s excuse to be lacking.
Some Redditors did not buy the idea that the constable was repositioning his gun when it accidentally fired.
“What exactly does ‘repositioning his weapon in his holster’ look like?” one person asked. “All of my guns fit pretty tight in their holsters.”
“‘While carelessly fiddling with his gun, our school constable negligently discharged a round in the hallway,’” another said, amending the text of the email. “There, I fixed it for them.”
The Delaware News Journal also investigated the likelihood of the gun firing on accident.
“Unless a firearm has been altered, the only way to make a modern handgun fire is to pull the trigger,” they said, noting that there is a firing pin block that keeps a gun from firing without pulling the trigger.
“It’s also what makes accidental discharges in holsters relatively uncommon, though not unheard of,” they added.
With school shootings on the rise, this was undoubtedly a scary situation.
Although nothing bad happened and, supposedly, no one was in danger, just hearing a gunshot in 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 were on K-12 school grounds.”
These shootings have caused 34 fatalities and 86 injuries.
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With the possibility that a shooting could take place at school already in the back of everyone’s mind, hearing a firearm discharge must have been nothing short of terrifying.
While this was thankfully just an accident, it is 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 constable had been “let go” but could not confirm that. While it seems like harsh retribution for an accident, the matter is so serious that it would be the only way to handle it.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.