Sarah Melissa Wilson, a teacher in North Carolina, has been arrested for hiding a weapon for a student in her classroom before they threatened to “shoot up” the school on social media. According to reports, the student eventually posed with the gun on Snapchat with the threat.
The weapon was a Raven .25-caliber handgun.
Wilson has been charged with aiding a minor to possess a firearm on educational property.
“At Paisley, last week our team was alerted that a student may have seen a weapon on campus,” Interim Superintendent of the district Kenneth Simington said in a statement to Winston-Salem Journal. “Administrators worked to help police to begin conducting interviews to determine if indeed a weapon had earlier been at school.
“By early Friday, investigators communicated to us there was evidence that a weapon had been on campus and as soon as we had those facts, we alerted parents to the investigation.”
From the report:
Wilson couldn’t be reached Tuesday for comment. She was released from custody on her written promise to appear on May 30 in Forsyth District Court, a court record shows. She has worked as a language arts teacher with the school since August 2017, said Brent Campbell, a spokesman with the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. Her annual salary is $38,600.
“This is alarming as safety is our top priority,” Simington added. “We are sincerely thankful that students trust and are comfortable enough with our school leaders to tell them when something is not right.
“These incidents are concerning and highlight the continued need for us to work together as a community and make sure students and parents understand the dangers of unsecured weapons, the power of social media, and the importance of a student’s emotional well-being,”
The gun was ultimately recovered from another student who had the gun on campus following the threat of a mass shooting.
The students involved will also likely face criminal charges, according to authorities.