Grundy County’s Director of Schools confirms that an elementary school student brought an airsoft pistol to class on Thursday.
Two students reported it to school administration after the student showed it to them on the bus.
School staff at North Elementary found an airsoft pistol in the student’s backpack.
Grundy County’s Director of Schools says deputies responded to the incident in less than 5 minutes. The county is suffering the loss of deputies at the county’s six schools.
On the day new Grundy County Sheriff Heath Gunter took office 19 people quit their jobs. Among those who quit were: 12 patrol deputies, two corrections officers and five members of the administrative staff. Gunter inherited a department with three patrol officer positions and three corrections officer positions that were already open.
Gunter had to use the two remaining SROs as patrol deputies for the time being, meaning law enforcement officers are not at the schools to provide security, including monitoring the school zones.