According to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, a student at a Lexington County middle school is accused of having a weapon in his backpack on campus on Oct. 19.

In a press release, Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon explained a 13-yearold male student at Carolina Springs Middle School had a loaded pistol in his book bag. Administrators received a tip about the gun and found it upon confronting him in the cafeteria. They took the student to the office and sought assistance from the school resource officer.

According to the arrest report, the weapon found was a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun with a magazine and 13 rounds.

“We’ve charged the student with carrying a weapon on school property,” Koon is quoted in the release. “He was released to the custody of his mother and will appear in Lexington County Family Court at a later date. His name will not be released because he’s under the age of 18.”

In a letter sent to parents and staff, Lexington County School District 1 indicated the school received “a few tips” about a student having a weapon on campus. The student has been suspeneded from campus and will be recommended for expulsion

The letter goes on to note the school has no reason to believe that the student was planning to harm anyone.

“Though this is an alarming situation, we are proud of the students who came forward to report these serious concerns to administrators,” according to the letter, which pushes students parents and staff to address safety concers they’re uncomfortable taking to an andministrator or teacher to the school’s anonymous tip line. “We wanted to share this news with the entire district to remind all of our students that we must work together to keep our schools safe. We encourage our students to always tell a staff member if they hear about or witness any threat to our safety.

Sheriff Koon applauded the way the situation was handled.

“This is a case of the system working,” he additionally stated in the release. “Someone spoke up and told administrators what they were hearing. Because they did the right thing, we worked together to make sure teachers, staff and students remained safe and learning continued in a secure environment.”