Crockett County school director talks about recent incident

CROCKETT COUNTY, Tenn. – A local school director spoke out regarding an incident involving one student bringing an unloaded weapon to school. 

After the incident in Crockett County, parents had a lot to say regarding the safety of their children. 

On Friday, November 10, the Crockett County Sheriff’s Office released a statement regarding one student bringing an unloaded weapon on the Maury City Elementary School’s campus.

Authorities were immediately notified of this situation.

Officials say the sheriff’s department and school board leaders were quickly at the elementary school.

“After what happened, our staff was extremely well prepared. They handled it with being discreet and also did a good job of isolating and taking care of what we had to do to stop the incident from happening,” said Crockett County Director of Schools Phillip Pratt.

Pratt mentioned that there are procedures put in place for situations like this.

Currently, the student involved is no longer in attendance. This situation is now under investigation.

He says bringing a firearm on campus is an expulsion.

“They have a right to appeal those decisions on our policies. That will be up to the decision of the parents of this group, but we will follow our policies and we will not take it lightly. This is not a demerit. This is a big deal, and we will take it seriously,” Pratt said.

On Monday, November 13, the Crockett County School Board held their meeting at the elementary school.

A few parents were in attendance at this meeting expressing their concerns of this incident. 

Pratt says that parents should express the importance of “see something, say something.” 

“Young people think that being a snitch is a bad thing, but when it comes down to it, we have to do a better job of educating our kids even if it’s in a discreet way where they can go to someone they trust,” Pratt said.

He also says that having conversations with children is important. 

“Establish a relationship parents invest in. Don’t just be a part of it, invest in their daily classroom setting. And I think that academic wise, social wise, emotional wise, all those things are very important,” Pratt said.

Pratt also shares that parents’ feedback is important to him as well as student safety. 

Authorities have confirmed that this student was not targeting any students or teachers, and they are currently in custody of juvenile services. 

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