Wausau School Bell. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wausau Police Department and School District say a student at Jefferson Elementary was taken into custody after officials discovered they had brought a stun gun to school.
The 10-year-old student did not threaten others or use the device, according to a release from the district, but Lt. Nathan Cihlar says they still took the situation seriously and were able to apprehend the student and device quickly. “When the [School Resource Officer] arrived they learned that staff was able to find the student and take it away from him in a minute or less,” said Cihlar.
He adds that even though no threats were made and the device was not used, the student still violated state law by bringing an item that’s considered to be a dangerous weapon onto school grounds. The student will face consequences from the district and has also been referred to the Marathon County Department of Social Services – Juvenile Justice. Additional consequences, if deemed appropriate, will come from the department of social services.
Cihlar says he wants parents to know that the district and Police take the presence of any dangerous weapon on school grounds seriously. He hopes the situation will lead to conversations at home between parents or guardians and their students about what is and isn’t appropriate to bring to school.
District officials notified parents shortly after the incident was reported on Wednesday morning, then issued a joint statement with the Police Department in the evening. “We wanted to be responsive to the parent community who are asking additional questions like ‘what did this look like in school?’ or ‘was there a threat to my child’s safety?’ We wanted to provide that context,” added Cihlar.
Cihlar also credits the student who told staff about the weapon, saying they encourage everyone to speak up if they see something that doesn’t look right.
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