11-year-old Michigan student expelled after disarming classmate with gun

An 11-year-old seventh-grader in Lansing, Michigan, was expelled for the full academic year after disarming a classmate who brought a loaded gun to Dwight Rich School of the Arts, according to his mother and local reporting. Sakir Everett, described by his mother as an A/B student and a longtime athlete, sprang into action when he spotted the firearm and helped prevent what many worry could have been a mass shooting. His family says his actions were heroic and lifesaving, performed under extreme fear and with a clear aim to protect his peers.

According to his mother, Sakir did not run away. He used knowledge from his hunting background to safely disarm the weapon, separate the ammunition, and throw the bullets away, ultimately taking the gun from the armed student, disassembling it, and removing the ammunition to prevent a tragedy. The family has emphasized that Sakir’s instinct was to protect his classmates rather than report the incident first, a detail they say contributed to the district’s decision that he violated reporting requirements.

The Lansing School District has said Sakir was expelled for the entire year because he did not immediately report the incident to staff, a point his mother disputes as a theatrical simplification of a chaotic moment. Savitra McClurkin, Sakir’s mother, told reporters that her son had never been in trouble before and was acting to safeguard others. “They kicked him out of school for the whole year,” she said, explaining that the family has launched a public campaign to reinstate him. “He’s never been in trouble before. He was trying to protect his classmates. He didn’t want to implicate himself in it, nor did he want to tell on the person that actually brought the firearm. Because he knows firearms aren’t supposed to be in school.”

The family described Sakir as a soft-spoken, athletic student who has long participated in sports. McClurkin said Sakir used practical knowledge from his hunting background to disarm the weapon and secure the scene, a step she says should be recognized as courage rather than punished as misconduct. A GoFundMe page created to support the Everett family frames Sakir as a child who acted with bravery under terrifying circumstances and says he was expelled despite being an exemplary student.

McClurkin has since moved to homeschooling Sakir while awaiting resolution from the district. She said accredited online schools would not enroll her son, citing the district’s decision, which has forced the family to seek alternatives. “Online schools are honoring [the school district’s] decision. Nor did they provide us a different resource or a different avenue to go,” she said.

In a direct appeal to the Lansing School Board, McClurkin spoke in person at a public meeting, asking for reinstatement and noting her son’s age and clean disciplinary record. “What am I to do?” she asked the silent board. “He’s 11 years old, in seventh grade, never been in trouble before.” While community members voiced support for Sakir, the board offered no public response and did not announce any immediate action on his case. A GoFundMe page accompanying the campaign portrays Sakir as a hero who was wrongly treated as a criminal after attempting to intervene in a dangerous situation.

The district has declined to comment publicly on Sakir’s case, citing privacy concerns, but officials have said they will revisit the question of reinstatement at the end of the academic year. McClurkin dismissed the timeline as insufficient and said the family needs a resolution now, given the financial and educational toll of the expulsion.

Across the community, the incident has ignited a familiar debate about school safety policies, student reporting obligations, and how to recognize and reward student bravery when it intersects with disciplinary rules. Advocates for reform argue that districts should take into account the extraordinary context of a young student acting to protect peers, while proponents of current policies emphasize the need for consistent reporting and safety protocols. The case has amplified questions about how much latitude schools should give students who intervene in weapons incidents and how districts balance accountability with recognition of courage.

While the final decision rests with the Lansing School District, observers say Sakir’s expulsion has already become a touchstone for discussions at the intersection of education policy, gun safety, and juvenile discipline in the United States.