American mother places loaded gun in child's school backpack, arrested

The incident occurred in Florida's Coppergate Elementary School on August 13.

The Clay County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) said in a statement, "At the beginning of the school day, a Coppergate Elementary student opened their backpack and discovered a gun inside of it."

The student informed the teacher about the gun when she informed the supervisors and the Clay County Sheriff's Office.

"The weapon was confiscated by deputies and we began our investigation as the school was placed into a 'secure status' by officials; this allows teachers to continue instructing while preventing anyone to leave or enter school grounds," the statement said.

"Through investigative techniques and interviews, we discovered the child’s parents don’t live together; the mother placed the gun in the backpack and told the young child to return the firearm to their father before they left for school," the statement said.

Sharing the details, the statement said: "The child was taken to Coppergate Elementary by their father, who was unaware the gun was in the backpack. Therefore, the firearm ended up on school grounds."

The mother has been identified as Sierra Bronner.

She was arrested and charged with child neglect and giving a firearm to a minor.

She was taken to the Clay County Jail without incident and DCF was also notified and responded.

"It’s crucial that parents know what their children are bringing to school before they leave home. Look in their backpacks, ask questions and have conversations on what’s appropriate to bring to school,” Sheriff Michelle Cook said. “In this specific case, this was a poor decision and could’ve ended in tragedy. I’m grateful for our partnership with Clay County District Schools and applaud our school resource deputies and detectives for their work to keep our students safe.”