Someone left a gun in a Bellevue elementary school. The district didn’t tell parents for almost a month

A semi-automatic Glock pistol was left in the boys' bathroom at a Bellevue elementary school over winter break by someone who attends a church that rents the school every Sunday.

While no students or teachers were at Phantom Lake Elementary School, the congregation of the Lighthouse Christian Church includes children who attend Sunday services at the school.

Some school employees say the district wasn't forthcoming about the incident and district officials haven’t done enough to assure the school community that it won’t happen again.

On Monday, the district announced that Phantom Lake Principal Heather Snookal had been placed on administrative leave. But Janine Thorn, the district's chief communications officer, said the decision was not related to the gun incident.

The gun was discovered by a school janitor at Phantom Lake on Sunday, Dec. 21. The janitor gave the pistol to his superior, and they returned the weapon to the Lighthouse pastor, who knew who owned the Glock, according to the police report. The church has rented the elementary school for its weekly services since 2008.

Records show Bellevue Police were not contacted about the incident until Jan. 21, exactly one month after the gun was discovered. Douglas James, security director for Bellevue School District, told officers he returned the gun to Lighthouse Lead Pastor Joe Castillo. Castillo said he would return the gun to its owner, the report said.

Police then contacted the gun’s owner. He told police that “he had the firearm on his person when he went to the church, removed it to use the restroom, and forgot it,” according to the police report.

The owner of the gun, who KUOW is not identifying because he has not been charged with a crime, was told by police that he had been “trespassed from the property,” which means he is prohibited from returning to Phantom Lake Elementary School.

According to the police report, the man “expressed concern because that is where he attends church.” He was advised by police to take the matter up with the school district.

Weapons-free zone

Bringing a firearm onto a school campus can be classified as either a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor in Washington state, depending on the circumstances.

A misdemeanor is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000. A gross misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in jail and/or fines of up to $5,000. Violators of the law also lose their concealed pistol license for three years.

It’s not clear whether any charges will be filed. The case has been forwarded to King County prosecutors for review. The gun owner did not respond to KUOW’s request to be interviewed.

School officials sent an email to Phantom Lake employees on Monday, Jan. 5, informing them that “an inappropriate item was found.”

“We had to ask what it was and then we found out that it was a gun,” a district employee who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation told KUOW. “The details were not given, like who brought the gun and what happened after that and what consequences were there. So, not much was shared.”

Teachers and staff say they were urged to drop the matter. No one got hurt; the gun was returned to its owner.

Keeping kids safe

Despite those assurances, teachers and staff remained scared and angry about how the matter was handled and how they were treated.

“Why are you making a big deal of this?” the district employee said school workers were told at a staff meeting on Friday, Jan. 9. “And we were like, ‘Well, because somebody left a gun in the boys’ bathroom. That’s why.’”

After KUOW contacted the district, officials released a statement about the incident to parents on Jan. 16, almost a month after the gun was found and two weeks after classes had resumed.

“Because the incident occurred while buildings were closed and posed no immediate or ongoing risk to students or staff, broad communication to the Phantom Lake school community was not sent,” the statement reads. “The district’s typical practice is to communicate immediately whenever an incident directly affects or poses a risk to students or staff.”

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Meanwhile, the district continues to lease Phantom Lake to Lighthouse Christian Church every weekend. The rental agreement states that guns are not allowed on school grounds. The school district weapons policy states that it is a violation of district policy and state law for anyone to carry a firearm on school premises.

“While the number of incidents in any given year is small, we take each one very seriously,” the policy states.

Church and parents react

After KUOW contacted Lighthouse Christian Church and attempted to speak directly with Lead Pastor Castillo, church “Elders” released a statement saying:

“After our services on Sunday, December 21, 2025, we were made aware that a firearm was inadvertently left in the boy’s bathroom at Phantom Lake Elementary School. It was safely recovered and returned to the owner of the firearm that same afternoon. The owner is a visitor and not a member of Lighthouse Christian Church.”

The church did not respond to follow-up questions about how Castillo recognized the Glock and knew who owned it, or how many children attended the group’s pre-Christmas service.

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Phantom Lake Parent Teacher Association Co-President Lauren Houchin said via email that parents were not informed about the incident until KUOW contacted the group and they asked school officials for details.

The PTA Executive Board then reached out to families with students at the school to get their reaction.

“Some reported feeling disappointed in the district’s response,” said Houchin and PTA Co-President Stephanie Posadas via email. “We talked with our school principal and a district representative to get more information and feel reassured that they properly addressed the situation and are doing their best to keep our children safe.”

Reinforcing the no-guns message

District officials said they are taking steps to ensure that all groups that rent Bellevue schools are aware that they are weapons-free zones. The district is also considering additional signage at the schools that reinforce that message, Thorn said.

“We are reviewing with our facilities team, our security team, building administrators, going through what has happened and making revisions to any and everything that is related to student safety,” she said.

During the upcoming Feb. 10 special election, the Bellevue School District is asking voters to renew two levies — one for educational programs and operations and a second for capital projects.