Police say a fifth-grader in Alma threatened to bring a gun to school in a text he sent to an 11-year-old girl.
A parent discovered the text and alerted school administrators, who said the student was sent home from school.
"This is a serious threat," said Patrick Sasser, the girl's father.
Sasser showed 5NEWS the text messages Sasser said his 11-year-old daughter received.
Sasser said he recently downloaded a phone application where he can track his daughter’s text messages. He found the messages Wednesday (Jan. 15).
Alma Intermediate School administrators said the boy was sent home. They checked his locker for anything dangerous, but found nothing. The boy’s parents said their son doesn't have access to a gun.
"We did have to give consequences to the student who made the comment in a text about hurting another child with a weapon," said Principal Jim Warnock.
Sasser said he is just thankful no one, including his daughter, was hurt.
"This could have prevented several people from being hurt, injured or killed,” Sasser said.
Sasser has turned off his daughter’s phone indefinitely.
The principal said school officials dealt swiftly with the situation.
"Anytime that parents bring a safety concern to us, we address it immediately, and so we investigated this incident," Warnock said.
Warnock said administrators will meet with the boy to decide on any further disciplinary action.