A report that a student might have had a gun on a school bus turned out to involve a water gun, according to Charles County school and law enforcement officials.
Administrators at William A. Diggs Elementary School were notified on Sept. 15 of a report that a student might have had a firearm while riding the morning bus. School officials quickly located the student, age 8, and found a water gun inside his bookbag, according to a joint release from Charles County Public Schools and the Charles County Sheriff’s Office.
A preliminary investigation determined the student had shown the water gun to other children at the morning bus stop before boarding. A parent who heard about the incident reported it to school administrators, unsure whether the item was a real firearm, a BB gun or a water gun.
Officials said no actual firearm was involved and there was no threat to student or staff safety at any point during the incident.
“Parents are urged to talk with their children about the dangers of bringing these types of items to a bus stop or to school and the importance of reporting suspicious activity,” school officials said in the release.
The incident is the latest in a string of weapons-related reports in Charles County schools this year. In April, a handgun was discovered on a student at a Charles County middle school, and a 15-year-old was caught with a loaded ghost gun at St. Charles High School that same month. Those incidents led the school system to request $430,000 in emergency funding for enhanced safety measures districtwide.
Replica weapons in particular have prompted concern in the county before; a similar case in 2022 involved another Charles County student bringing a replica gun to school. Just this week, a 13-year-old was charged after a threat to Davis Middle School, underscoring heightened attention to school safety reports across the district this fall.
