A Florida mother has been charged with two felonies for allegedly sending her young child to school with a firearm.
Officials discovered a gun in a student’s backpack during the first week of classes at Coppergate Elementary School, also known as Coppergate School of the Arts, according to a Clay County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) press release.
According to the CCSO, when the student arrived at the Middleburg-based school on Wednesday, August 13, they “discovered” the weapon in their bag. They then “told their teacher,” who notified school officials and the sheriff’s office, which promptly informed the community of the situation.
“All children are safe,” Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook said in a Facebook post early that morning.
The notification came as the school was placed in “secure status,” which allowed educators to “continue instructing while preventing anyone to leave or enter school grounds,” according to the sheriff’s office. Meanwhile, CCSO deputies confiscated the gun.
With the school secured and the gun in CCSO custody, the sheriff’s office launched an investigation that quickly led them to the student’s mother, Sierra Bronner.
“Through investigative techniques and interviews, we discovered the child’s parents don’t live together; the mother placed the gun in the backpack and told the young child to return the firearm to their father before they left for school,” according to the news release issued by the CCSO.
“The child was taken to Coppergate Elementary by their father, who was unaware of the gun in the backpack.” As a result, the firearm ended up on school grounds,” the release said.
After learning that Bronner, 39, had allegedly sent the child to school with the firearm, she was arrested and charged with “child neglect and giving a firearm to a minor,” according to the CCSO. Both are felonies, according to arrest records obtained by PEOPLE.
PEOPLE contacted Bronner and a Coppergate School of the Arts spokesperson for comment, but did not receive a prompt response.
The Florida Department of Children and Families was also notified of the incident and “responded,” according to the CCSO.
Sheriff Cook stated in a statement that the incident was caused by a “poor decision,” and that the situation could have “ended in tragedy.”
“It’s critical that parents know what their children are bringing to school before they leave the house. “Look in their backpacks, ask questions, and have discussions about what is appropriate to bring to school,” the sheriff advised. “In this specific case, this was a poor decision and could’ve ended in tragedy.”
“I’m grateful for our partnership with Clay County District Schools and applaud our school resource deputies and detectives for their work to keep our students safe,” according to Cook.
