Hudson Valley Woman Arrested For Bringing Loaded Gun to School

A Hudson Valley teacher’s aid was arrested over allegations she brought a loaded gun to school.

On Monday around 9 a.m., the Clarkstown Police Department responded to the Jesse Kaplan School of the BOCES Campus in West Nyack after a staff member noticed a handbag containing what appeared to be a gun.

The handbag was in a staff closet. The item was later identified as, a black Ruger 9mm handgun, police say.

Following school protocol, the school was placed in lockdown. Once the gun was secured the lockdown was lifted and school resumed as normal, officials say.

At no point was the weapon displayed or used in a threatening manner by the teacher’s aide, according to Clarkstown North police.

Download the Hudson Valley Post App

The teacher’s aide, 24-year-old Gillian J. Jeffords of Warwick, was charged with criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds, a felony. She was released on an appearance ticket.

According to police, Jeffords has valid firearms license in both New York and Pennsylvania.

It’s unclear why the 24-year-old from Warwick brought the gun to the school that serves developmentally disabled students.

Spot a typo? Let us know.