CUDAHY — Parents expressed outrage after a 12-year-old student was found with a handgun at Lincoln Elementary School in Cudahy on Wednesday.
According to police, school administration and a school resource officer (SRO) discovered a handgun in the possession of the student, who was taken into custody.
"I'm beyond livid," Kate Burage said.
Kate and Olen Burage rushed to the school after seeing a press release on the Cudahy Facebook page, not from the school itself.
"The way I found out about was like what I said was a press release from the police department," Olen said.
The parents, who have two young girls attending the school, were upset about how the situation was communicated.
"I'm angry and I'm upset. This is not how you handle a situation like this," Kate explained.
Parents reported receiving an email from the principal around 2:15 p.m. describing a "concerning incident" in which "a student reported a safety concern."
Watch: Cudahy parents 'livid' after police find handgun at elementary school
"I just feel like they could have done a whole lot better to ease our minds," said Burage.
Jason Kuechenmeister shared similar frustrations about the school's communication approach.
"If there's a weather alert, you get a phone call, you get a text message, you get like bells and sirens. Yet, when there's a gun in school, I get a message through a free messaging app. And a message that put a grown man in tears," Kuechenmeister said.
The incident has left parents questioning whether to send their children back to school.
"Am I comfortable to say school is safe tomorrow? Honestly, as a parent I'm not," Kuechenmeister explained.
TMJ4 reached out to both the school district and the police department for more information and did not hear back in time for this report on Wednesday.
In an update Thursday, police said the 12-year-old was transferred to the Vel R. Phillips Juvenile Justice Center, and criminal charges are being referred.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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