BURLINGTON, N.C. — The Alamance-Burlington School System said a Turrentine Middle School student will face disciplinary action after they were found with a realistic-looking toy gun.
ABSS said a toy BB gun was taken from the student Friday morning. There were no BBs in the gun and no one was hurt.
However, the school system says this is the third incident with a toy gun in recent weeks.
School system spokesperson, Les Atkins says their Zero-Tolerance policy treats toy guns the same as real guns, resulting in long-term suspension.
"These guns resemble real firearms and could result in some serious outcome for a student who carries this onto one of our campuses. Our SROs are trained, but even to the trained eye these types of guns could be mistaken for real weapons," said Atkins.
Students carrying toy guns to schools is happening throughout the Triad. Sheriff Sam Page says just a few weeks ago a BB gun was found inside a Rockingham County elementary school.
"Parents have got to be responsible for educating their children about, you know, if they do have replicas or toy guns or stuff like this, then they're not allowed to be taken to school because if someone saw a young person or pointed a gun at someone it could cause somebody to react, and you know the last thing we want to see is anybody injured or hurt or worse," said Page.
Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson also called on guardians to help.
“We want parents, grandparents or guardians to stay aware of what our children are involved in. Whether it’s a fake or toy gun, it has no place in a school, a church or public gathering. These toy guns look so realistic that it may become threatening to others," said Johnson in a statement.
Both school and law enforcement officials are encouraging parents to talk to their kids and make sure toy guns of any kind are not in their backpacks.
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