MERRILLVILLE | A Pierce Middle School student has been expelled after bringing a gun to school, Merrillville Schools Superintendent Tony Lux said.
The incident occurred last week, but the exact date has not been released.
Lux said there was a feud between the student and another child that happened in a neighborhood.
Lux said the student brought the weapon to school "to impress, I guess, to some extent."
Parents have been notified of the situation.
Lux said bringing any weapon to school is dangerous.
"It's obviously an upsetting thing for everybody," Lux said.
In this situation, there was no intent to use the weapon to harm students at Pierce, he said.
No threats involving the weapon were made and there were no confrontations at the school, Lux said.
The gun was removed from the school the same day it was taken there, and the weapon wasn't displayed at Pierce, he said.
The school became aware of the situation after a teacher "picked up on some talk" about it, Lux said.
Possession of a weapon at school always results in expulsion.
"That individual is out of school," Lux said of the student.
The matter was turned over to the Merrillville Police Department to investigate, he said.
Merrillville police Detective Jeff Rice confirmed the department is investigating the situation.
Rice said Merrillville police are not commenting about the incident until the investigation is complete.
Lux said the safety of students in all Merrillville schools is paramount, and he complimented staff for picking up on the situation.
"Everybody pays close attention to the safety of the kids," Lux said.
He said students know the difference between right and wrong, and he stressed the importance of students reporting issues when they occur.
"There's no safety in silence," Lux said.
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