UPDATE: Teen arrested for bringing gun to school

WASILLA — Alaska State Troopers have arrested a 13-year-old boy, alleging he brought a gun to school Thursday.

Troopers say they were notified of the boy’s actions at 8 p.m. and that he’d brought the handgun to school earlier in the day. The gun belonged to a family member, troopers say, and the boy didn’t have permission to take it.

The press release says the boy was a student at the school but doesn’t specify which school. Schools spokeswoman Catherine Esary said the boy is a student at Teeland Middle School. She deferred questions about whether any threats were made to the troopers.

He was arrested at a home off of Wasilla-Fishhook Road near Snohomish Ave. He was jailed at the Mat-Su Youth Facility, charged with theft, weapons misconduct and terroristic threatening. What led to that final charge is not clear. The report doesn’t say the boy threatened anyone, only mentioning he showed the gun to other students.

“All of our parents in that middle school have been notified,” Esary said.

She said safety protocols were followed in this case and that activities at the school are running smoothly.

Policies regarding weapons in the school are explicit she said, and punishments fall into three categories ranging from in-school suspension to out-of-school suspension to expulsion. It’s not clear which of those categories Thursday’s incident falls into.

That the gun had come to school didn’t come out until after school had dismissed.

“A student did do the right thing. A student came forward and said, ‘I need to tell my parents,’” Esary said.

She said mostly the district hopes that the incident will be a learning opportunity.

“What we want students to learn and what we all must learn as adults and students is that actions and choices have consequences,” Esary said. “There are many caring adults in any school and they’re there to help students.”