Officials: Gun found at Chaffee Trail Elementary during search for another student's missing item

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A gun was discovered Wednesday at Chaffee Trail Elementary School among a student's belongings while school staff were searching for another student's missing item, according to school officials.

Principal Casie Doyle wrote in a letter to parents and guardians that no students or staff were harmed, and that the student was taken into law enforcement custody.

"The student may face serious criminal charges and will be disciplined according to the Student Code of Conduct, which may include expulsion," Doyle wrote.

In September 2014, a gun was also found at the school.

View the letter below:

Here is the full text of the letter:

Dear Parents and Guardians,

At Chaffee Trail Elementary, we strive to maintain a safe and secure learning environment and build trustworthy relationships between students and staff.

On Wednesday, a student reported a missing item to school staff. While attempting to locate the missing item, school staff . While attempting to locate the missing item, school staff discovered a firearm among another student's belongings. The gun was confiscated, and the student was taken into custody by law enforcement. The student may face serious criminal charges and will be disciplined according to the student code of conduct, which may include expulsion. Thankfully, no students nor staff were harmed during Wednesday's incident.

We greatly appreciate the swift action by our staff members and the cooperation of students, staff and law enforcement. As parents and guardians, we ask for your support. Please talk with your child about this incident, and continue to emphasize their role in keeping our school safe. We encourage you to monitor your child's belongings and the items he or she may bring to school. Any firearm or weapon -- real and fake -- brought to school is a violation of the Code of Conduct.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at 904-693-7510.

Sincerely,

Casie Doyle

Principal

Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti released the following statement on guns being found in schools:

"As I always indicate, one weapon brought to school is too many. Today, several were identified in schools throughout Jacksonville regardless of zip code. Thankfully, we have no evidence to indicate that students planned to use them at the school.  This has been the case with each weapon discovered at schools over the years. To stop these incidents from reoccurring, we need active parent and guardian involvement. Weapons are arriving to our schools from homes and neighborhoods. We will continue to conduct random searches, which we have expanded, and will continue to actively investigate tips and student behavior. However, parents and guardians must check children's belongings from backpacks to vehicles before school. More importantly, they must monitor their children's friends and peer groups, including social media activity and activities outside of the home. Bringing a weapon to school is completely unacceptable. We have, and will, continue to apply expulsion and criminal charges to any student who brings a weapon to school. As a society, though, we must also begin to hold our parents and guardians accountable to the expectation that their involvement and supervision is critical to protecting the safety of their children and also those of the greater society, including school personnel and other children. We encourage students to continue to own the safe school environment they demand by informing personnel of the presence of weapons. In turn, as a team of educators, we will continue to forge relationships with students, parents, and the community to prevent incidents like these from occurring."

Cox Media Group