INDIANAPOLIS — A police report has been filed after a child brought a gun to a Lawrence Township school this week.

An MSD of Lawrence Township spokesperson said it happened because a parent put the weapon in the student’s backpack and neglected to take it out before the student went to school the next day.

“It’s not very often that I don’t have the words,” said Julie Quesenbery, president of the Indiana School Resource Officer’s Association. “We cannot continue to get the easy things wrong and that is an easy thing.”

A statement from MSD of Lawrence Township Schools said a Mary Castle Elementary parent stored a gun in her student’s backpack Monday because they were not able to bring the gun into a building. The parent then “neglected” to take it out – leading to the student bringing the gun to school Tuesday.

“If you are responsible enough to purchase a gun, you should know where it is and secure it at all times,” Quesenbery said.

Mary Castle parents were informed Wednesday morning in a statement sent out from the school principal.

“To think about a parent putting their child in that situation is pretty rough,” said Joe Garrison, a Mary Castle parent.

In the letter, the school principal said a different parent reported their child said there was a gun on their school bus Tuesday. This launched an investigation that verified the report.

“I’m most worried about the kid who had the gun in their backpack, they’re probably most at risk,” Garrison said.

A report was filed with IMPD showing the student is 7 years old and the gun was placed there by their mother.

Quesenbery said the mother could face charges.

“If a parent leaves a gun in a kid’s backpack, that’s a really big problem, and the law agrees with that,” she said.

A spokesperson for MSD of Lawrence Township Schools said the school district is utilizing both legal recourse and social services to address the issue.

“It’s very appropriate for DCS to be involved,” Quesenbery said.

Quesenbery said this should be a reason for all parents to have a conversation with their children about guns. She said this is her best advice for children and guns.

“If you ever see a gun,” she said. “I need you to do two things. Don’t touch it and tell an adult.”

We reached out to IMPD about this, a spokesperson said they take these kinds of issues seriously and do investigate.