Parent ‘unintentionally’ drops off gym bag with gun inside at Lawrence High School; student alerts school staff

photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World
A Lawrence Police Department patrol vehicle is pictured June 28, 2022.
A parent dropped off a gym bag containing a gun to Lawrence High School Tuesday morning, according to police.
The bag was meant for a student, and police believe the gun being in the bag was “unknowing and unintentional,” according to Sgt. Drew Fennelly, “but it does serve as a good reminder to practice proper gun safety, and that all firearms should be safely secured when not being actively carried, and should never find their way onto school grounds.”
Fennelly said no arrest was made but that a report would be written.
Julie Boyle, a spokeswoman with the Lawrence school district, said that when the student came to the office to pick up the bag, they noticed it contained a gun and immediately gave the bag to office staff and reported its contents.
“Thanks to this student’s prompt, decisive actions, our administration and the school resource officer were able to take immediate possession of the bag in the office,” Boyle wrote in a letter to staff and parents. “Police are working with the parent as they investigate what happened.”