Somebody needs to give this kid a high five for doing the right thing. I totally agree with you guys that this must have been somebody else in the home. Hopefully the police will be able to piece together what happened when they finish their investigation.

Don't call the principal. The best thing to do is go to the next board meeting as a group of parents and challenge the discipline policies of the district. Let them know that you feel that the child should not be punished for doing the right thing.

Punishing the student for alerting the teacher and gets punished? WTH!

If anyone is wondering, Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code (TEC) addresses safe schools, student discipline, and behavior management. The Texas Association of School Boards covers this in an easier-to-read document at Student Discipline for Firearms at SchoolFor the TL;DR people, TEC and TASB recommend, "Before disciplinary placement, consider mitigating factors: Self-defense, disciplinary history, intent, homelessness, foster status, and disability."With that said, I have oversimplified what seems to be a complicated matter in general and recommend that anyone interested go down the rabbit hole themselves. A good starting point for more information can be found at Student Discipline section of the TASB School Law eSource.

@Joe :Thank you so much for the tips!

@West-Tex : And thank you for all your tips. Much appreciated. ❤️

@youarewrong: in my school, located in a different state, one student brought an antique gun for show and tell. One brought a large knife to peel an apple for the lunch he put together himself. Due to lack of intent., neither student was punished. The parents were called and came to pick up the weapons.