Chester teacher finds gun in student’s wheelchair

An elementary schoolteacher reportedly found a gun in a student’s wheelchair in a Chester County classroom on Thursday.

The firearm was located by a teacher at Chester Park Elementary School of Inquiry on Lancaster Highway just outside the city limits of Chester, school officials said.

The teacher notified her principal and the school safety officer immediately took possession of the gun. She told Chester County Sheriff’s Office deputies she realized a student was sitting on the firearm after she picked up the student from the wheelchair. Officials believe that the student unintentionally transported the gun to school.

It’s not clear if the gun was loaded, but a school safety officer said he “made the firearm safe” after all students and faculty had been escorted from the classroom, according to an incident report.

In a statement, Keith Callicutt, Chester County’s interim schools superintendent, said: “We have a clear procedure in place when a weapon is found. The teacher, principal, school safety officer, and our district’s chief of security followed our procedure and ensured the situation was handled properly. Student safety is always our top priority within our schools.”

School district spokeswoman Brooke Clinton said the teacher handled the issue quietly after finding the gun without disrupting school operations, which went on as usual.

It’s not clear who owns the gun or how it got in the student’s wheelchair, and the incident remains under investigation.

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 12:12 PM with the headline "Chester teacher finds gun in student’s wheelchair."