A 12-year-old student at Earle B. Wood Middle School (Wood MS) was arrested for bringing a plastic handgun to the auditorium during an after-school activity May 5, according to a statement released by MCPD. The student has been charged with disturbing school activities and threatening others with bodily harm.

The sixth-grade student approached a group of girls in the auditorium of about 120 students, and began pointing the fake gun around, causing a commotion. After the students were taken behind the stage for shelter, a teacher approached the boy and safely confiscated the gun, finding that it was made of plastic.

The parents of the students who were in the auditorium were notified about the incident before the principal sent out a letter to the rest of the school community that night.

“I also want to thank the students who made the report to the teacher for their commitment to the safety of our student body and staff,” principal of Wood MS Heidi Slatcoff said in the letter.    “As a reminder to all students, it is never okay to bring weapons of any kind – real or fake – onto school property.”

The statement also noted that the student in question will be punished according to the MCPS Student Code of Conduct. It is unclear at this time what will become the police charges.