Swampscott 10-year-old boy brings weapons to

Machon SchoolBy Debra Glidden/The Daily ItemSWAMPSCOTT – A 10-year-old Machon Elementary School student was caught with weapons in school on Tuesday.Police Chief Ronald Madigan said the male student brought brass knuckles and a knife to school, but he was not arrested and the incident is still under investigation.On Wednesday, more than 24 hours after the incident occurred and after being contacted by news media, Superintendent Matthew Malone issued a press release regarding the incident.But several Machon parents said they were not aware a student had been caught with weapons in school and were furious they had not been notified in writing about the incident by the principal.Karen Donaher said a computerized telephone call was received at her home on Wednesday regarding the incident.”I can’t believe they didn’t send anything home on Tuesday,” she said. “The principal should have notified parents.”Malone said Machon Elementary School sent a letter home with students on Wednesday because there wasn’t time to prepare written notification before school was dismissed on Tuesday.Debbie Davis, who has a child in the first grade at Machon, said she understands if there wasn’t time to prepare a written notice on Tuesday, but she questioned why the automated phone calls weren’t made until the following day.”The phone calls should have been made to all parents Tuesday night,” she said.According to Malone, a fellow student notified Principal Kevin Cushman that a fifth-grader had weapons in their possession at approximately 1:45 p.m.”The principal, immediately and successfully, gained possession of the weapons and confiscated them,” Malone wrote. “The Swampscott Police were notified and the weapons were turned over to them. School officials met with the parents involved and appropriate action was taken according to our code of discipline.”Despite outrage by some parents over lack of notification, Malone insisted the matter was handled appropriately.”This is another example of how our system has been successful in maintaining the safety and security of our students,” Malone said. “We thank the young student who came forward with this information and acknowledge the trusting and responsible relationships that our faculty and administration have built with students and families to allow such information to be shared.”