(KRON) — After a student brought a BB gun to an East Bay elementary school on Wednesday, classmates disarmed the student on the playground, the Pittsburg Police Department confirmed to KRON4.

Parents of students at Highlands Elementary School in Pittsburg faced a parent’s nightmare when they received word that a student had “what looked like a weapon” on campus Wednesday afternoon.

Students on the playground reportedly saw their classmate with a BB gun, and they took it from them, according to PPD. The administration at Highlands Elementary School says teachers were informed by students that a child had a weapon after recess. The staff moved all students into classrooms with teachers for safety and contacted the Pittsburg Police Department, according to a note sent home to parents.

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Administrators at the school confiscated the BB gun and handed it over to PPD officers when they arrived. As of the time of Wednesday’s note, the student was still with police.

“This serves as a reminder for all of us to be active in promoting safety,” Principal Julie Blackburn writes. The letter goes on to detail the dangers of anyone bringing any kind of weapon, even replicas, onto school grounds.

KRON4 reached out to Highlands Elementary School for further comment on the incident, but we are still awaiting a response.

Violence has heavily impacted Bay Area schools since the start of 2023. In March, a student died after being stabbed by a classmate at a Santa Rosa high school. Several other schools across the Bay Area have also reported contacting police after students were found with weapons on campus.