Schools

CCUSD Responds to Child Bringing Gun to School

Following the arrest of a Culver City Middle School boy Tuesday after allegedly waving an unloaded handgun at a fellow student, the Culver City Unified School District says it's a reminder to continually educate students about bullying.

After a 6th grade boy was for bringing an unloaded handgun to , school officials were quick to respond.

Parents were informed of the incident via an automated robo-call and Culver City Middle School Principal Jon Pearson sent out an email that stated in part:

Safety is our priority. We take all reports of safety concerns seriously.  Students will certainly be discussing the incident.  Please remind your child that if they hear or see anything that could negatively impact the safety of anyone on our campus, to please report.  Even an anonymous note is great.

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Following Pearson’s outreach to the community, parent Angela Penchansky said on Patch’s Facebook Page, “I applaud Jon Pearson's forthcoming and active approach to informing parents of the news and handling the safety of all of our children with the upmost professionalism and genuine care and concern for their well being. Good leadership with integrity and regard.”

Patch contacted School Board President Karlo Silbiger and Superintendent Patricia Jaffe earlier this week for an official response to the incident, but both stated that all queries should go through Culver City Police.

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While Culver City police did not state the suspect’s motive for bringing the gun to school, on Thursday morning the School District issued statement saying that the student “brought an unloaded handgun to school to show off and intimidate his fellow students.”

The statement then went on to say the incident “underscores the importance of the District's on-going anti-bullying efforts."

In the written statement, Superintendent Jaffe said, “Having a gun on campus is a very serious matter that we will not tolerate. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the student involved was arrested as soon as we discovered what happened. But these events are another reminder of how important it is for us to continually educate our students about bullying and how to deal with it."

The statement goes on to discuss the district’s commitment to safety on all its campuses and the two-day training in the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program that all the district’s Elementary schools and the Middle School recently underwent.

"We take very seriously our commitment to provide a safe learning environment for everyone on our campuses," Jaffe stated. "While Monday's incident was unfortunate, I am extremely proud of how our staff handled it, and I would like to thank the Culver City Police Department and CCUSD security for working so quickly and effectively to arrest the student involved."

The District’s statement went on to say that CCUSD has had an Anti Bullying Task Force since 2008 and in 2009 launched a web page addressing bullying, along with resources to help those who have been targeted. The page is accessible here.

The district is also calling on the community to be aware that there is a form that parents and teachers can fill in – even anonymously – if they wish to report an incidence of bullying. The form is available here.

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