The 6-year-old students managed to obtain a gun belonging to the transportation director. She left her gun in an unlocked case in her office near Highland Elementary School in Sparta — along with her grandson and the first grade daughter of an assistant — when she went to use the restroom. When the director returned, the gun was on a desk and the two children were playing nearby, the newspaper reported.
School superintendent Dan Freund told the Dispatch he assumed the children had removed the gun and were holding it before they put the weapon down.
Fixed the article on what really happened:
The 6-year-old students (transportation director's grandson and the first grade daughter of an assistant) skipped class and were playing in the transportation director's office as they do every day.
The transportation director left her office to use the restroom. When the director returned, she realized that she had left the gun on her desk where she "stored" it during the day and the two children were playing nearby, (the newspaper didn't report this part of the story so they could add drama to the story).
School superintendent Dan Freund who had walked into the office shortly before transportation director returned found the gun on the desk and assumed the children had removed the gun from the shoe box hidden on the shelf behind the desk and were holding it before they put the weapon down; after further review the superintendent discovered that the transportation director carelessly left the gun on her desk within reach of the children who had never had any exposure or instruction on the correct way to hand a firearm
The children never really touched the gun nor had they even noticed the gun left on the desk. The transportation director got a big hug from the superintendent and went to the safe room for the rest of the day to unwind while the children were allowed to continue to play next to the desk with the gun sitting on it. The children never cared about the gun because they were busy playing with the 2 year old toys left in the office for the kids.