A firearm was left in a restroom at Phantom Lake Elementary School during a church event over winter break, but the Bellevue School District said no students or staff were at risk and the incident happened outside school hours, according to the district.
This incident was first reported by KUOW.
According to the Bellevue School District, the incident happened Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, during a regularly scheduled facility rental at Phantom Lake Elementary by Lighthouse Church for a Christmas service.
A guest visiting the church unintentionally left a gun in a restroom.
A district custodian discovered the firearm and immediately notified church staff and reported it to his supervisor, the district said.
District Safety and Security and the Facilities Department were also notified.
The district said the incident occurred while school buildings were closed for winter break and did not pose an immediate risk to students or staff.
Senior district leaders were briefed when operations resumed after the break.
Because the incident did not directly affect or threaten students or staff, the district said it did not send out a broad public notification.
The district said it follows a standard practice of communicating immediately when an incident directly affects or poses a risk to students or staff.
The district said the rental group’s leadership addressed the incident with its members and reviewed expectations and district policies, including the district’s weapons-free school requirement.
All facility rental agreements state that Bellevue School District schools are weapons-free, and that requirement has been reiterated to the renter, the district said.
The renter expressed regret over the incident and committed to reminding participants of district procedures, according to the district.
District facilities staff also reinforced that schools are weapons-free zones at all times, whether or not school is in session.
The district said all facilities already have signage noting that schools are weapons-free zones, and additional signage is being evaluated to further reinforce the policy.
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