Mom Shows Up At Elementary School With Gun, Threatens Lesbian Teacher Over Pride Flag

An Indiana mother is facing criminal charges after bringing a gun onto school property and sending threatening, anti-LGBTQ+ messages to her daughter’s openly lesbian teacher, all stemming from a classroom discussion that referenced a Pride flag.

Carrie Rivers, 48, was arrested and charged with harassment and possession of a firearm on school property following the April 10 incident at Valley Mills Elementary School in Indianapolis. According to the Decatur Township School Police, officers were called to the school after receiving reports of an “irate parent” on campus.

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When officers arrived, they noticed a firearm holstered on Rivers. “Carrie Rivers stated that she did have a gun as I was removing it from her person,” wrote responding officer Tabetha Emenaker, according to NBC. Rivers reportedly told the officer she didn’t realize she was still carrying it, explaining that she was used to wearing it regularly and had been on school grounds with it before.

The confrontation began when Rivers accused her daughter’s sixth-grade teacher of “trying to push her personal agenda in regard to sexuality,” according to an affidavit. The teacher had been conducting a lesson about flags from various countries and states, during which she also referenced the rainbow Pride flag hanging in her classroom with the words “be kind” on it. The teacher later told authorities that students, including Rivers’ daughter, had the option to skip the assignment.

After being escorted from the school grounds, Rivers allegedly used the school’s messaging system—and later Facebook—to send harassing and threatening messages to the teacher. The affidavit states Rivers wrote, “Say ur prayers and kiss ur kids goodbye and goodnight u never know when god says its our time so be prepared,” and “God will condemn you to hell.”

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She also reportedly called the teacher a “child predator” and wrote, “Sick, nasty teacher, you should never tell precious innocent kids that it’s okay to be in a same sex relationship.” According to the affidavit, she referred to the teacher using a slur during their face-to-face confrontation at the school.

The teacher, who keeps a photo of her wife and daughter on her desk, reported the threats to authorities. A warrant was issued for Rivers’ arrest, and she is no longer permitted on any Decatur Township school property.

In a statement, the Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township said: “The police suspected that the parent had possession of a concealed handgun on her person and escorted her out of the building. At that point, they took possession of the weapon from the parent without incident outside the school… After the incident, it came to our attention that the parent then sent harassing and threatening messages to her child’s teacher. A warrant was filed for her arrest.”

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Rivers’ husband, Leon Rivers, defended his wife in comments to NBC News, stating that she didn’t mean any harm and simply forgot she was armed when she entered the school. “We see [other parents] bring guns into the school all the time, just to drop kids off,” he said.

While the district has reaffirmed its commitment to a safe learning environment, the case underscores the risks LGBTQ+ educators continue to face, particularly in increasingly hostile political climates.