My biggest fear as a parent is sending my 7-year-old son to school. Despite living in a state with a more comprehensive and strengthened concealed carry permitting system, I worry every day that my son may be the next victim of a school shooting. It’s a reality I have personally prepped him for, and a lesson I only hope he’ll learn and know what to do if the time ever unfortunately arises.
Michigan mom Savitra McClurkin thought that her 11-year-old son’s reaction to learning there was a classmate who had a gun was nothing short of heroic. And yet, the Dwight Rich School of the Arts, where the incident occurred, still saw it fit to expel him. According to WILX, McClurkin says her son spotted his classmate with the gun and used his hunting knowledge to disarm and disassemble the gun before tossing the bullets.
Both WLNS and the Lansing State Journal reported that the unloaded, disassembled weapon was found and a 12-year-old boy was arrested for bringing it into the school.
“He didn’t want to implicate himself in it, nor did he want to tell on the person that actually brought the firearm,” McClurkin told the outlet. “Because he knows firearms aren’t supposed to be in school.”
When the school discovered McClurkin’s son directly handled the weapon — even to disassemble it — they expelled him.
In a statement provided to People, Lansing School District Director of Public Safety Dale Person and Executive Director of School Culture Cordelia Black said the expulsion was not a decision administrators took “lightly.”
“In May 2025, a serious incident involving a firearm occurred at Dwight Rich Middle School,” Cordelia Black, the Lansing School District Director of Public Safety, and Dale Person, Executive Director of School Culture, told People in a statement.
“After a thorough investigation, and in accordance with Michigan law regarding dangerous weapons on school property, the Lansing School District determined that expulsion was necessary,” the statement continued.
“Expulsion is never a decision the district takes lightly,” she went on to say. “It is always considered a last resort,” the statement continued. “However, Michigan law provides very clear direction in cases involving dangerous weapons. The investigation — which included statements and video evidence — left no ambiguity and required this outcome. The Lansing School District has both a legal and moral responsibility to ensure the safety of all students and staff. While this decision is difficult, our priority remains creating and maintaining a secure environment where learning can take place without fear. Upholding these standards is essential to protecting our school community.”
McClurkin, however, doesn’t see the decision as fair or beneficial to her son. “I’m frustrated. I’m at my wits’ end. I don’t know what to do,” McClurkin told WILX.
The mom also alleged that she has attempted to speak with the school district and even went to a board meeting at the school to no avail.
“They are setting my child up for failure,” McClurkin alleges, stating that she has had to homeschool him since the incident. “They’re setting him up to being a statistic, and I’ve been doing everything in my will and my power to keep him from that … It’s devastating because he’s a bright kid and all he wants to do is be a kid.”
The family has since set up a GoFundMe to help McClurkin deal with the incurred costs of having to cut back on working to help further her son’s education. The fundraiser site states: “The sudden expulsion, the preteen’s mother has had to take on the enormous challenge of educating him at home. This has forced her to cut back on work, creating serious financial strain on their household.”
It also went on to voice an opinion about his actions that day. “Instead of being recognized as a hero, he is now being treated like a criminal,” organizer Catra Davis wrote. “He has been expelled and barred from all school platforms, despite being an A/B student, a respectful young man, and an athlete who has been playing sports since he was six years old. He has never been in trouble at school before.”
