A Noblesville elementary student found a real, loaded handgun sitting at eye level in a school bathroom, then did exactly what adults have been begging kids to do for years: did not touch it and immediately told a grown-up. School resource officers and Noblesville police responded and secured the weapon. District leaders publicly praised the student and credited school resource officer (SRO) lessons that tell children to leave firearms alone and report them to an adult.
How The Discovery Unfolded
On June 20, the Noblesville Police Department shared a Facebook post explaining that a student found the firearm, did not handle it, and got help. Officers were called to the school and secured the weapon, according to the Noblesville Police Department. The message, originally posted on the Noblesville Schools Community page by Crystal Grassman, highlighted Sgt. Mike Hargrove, known to students as “Officer Mike,” as one of the SROs who teaches gun-safety lessons. The public post did not specify which school building was involved or who had left the handgun there.
SRO Training And Project Truth
Noblesville’s SROs use a custom safety curriculum called Project Truth. District materials describe K–5 lessons on what to do if a child finds a dangerous object, including a McGruff-style four-step message: “stop, do not touch, get away, and tell an adult,” outlined in the district’s overview from Noblesville Schools. The Facebook message referenced nearly identical guidance, thanking Sgt. Hargrove for drilling into students that if they see a firearm they should not touch it, leave it alone, and immediately get an adult.
The district has full-time SROs stationed in every building, and officials say those officers regularly bring the Project Truth lessons into classrooms. That approach to school safety and SRO staffing has been profiled by WRTV Investigates.
Legal And Policy Context
Indiana law sets out specific consequences for weapons at school. Knowingly possessing a firearm on school property or on a school bus is a Level 6 felony under state code, and school discipline law requires that any student found to have brought a firearm to school be expelled for at least one calendar year unless the superintendent changes that penalty. Those rules are laid out in IC 35-47-9-2 and IC 20-33-8-16, according to Justia and Justia, which summarize the criminal penalties, mandatory reporting requirements, and school discipline procedures.
What Families Can Do
In the wake of the incident, the district urged parents and caregivers to go over the same safety guidance that SROs teach in class. The core message is simple: do not touch a firearm, leave it where it is, and get an adult right away. Officials also urged families to keep any firearms at home properly secured and out of children’s reach.
Noblesville’s Project Truth materials and the School Resource Officers page include take-home resources and classroom activities that families can use to practice those safety steps together, available through Noblesville Schools. Police and school officials did not immediately release further public details about the investigation beyond what was shared in the social media post.
