CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Parents are questioning why they weren't informed after school security officers found a pocket knife in a locker at McClintock Middle School last Wednesday.

"I would like, you know, to be informed about it," said one parent.

"I think a weapon is a weapon and if it puts someone in danger or hurts them, what's the difference?" the woman asked.

School officials say they have a policy of mandatory notification for parents, but only when a gun is found on a school campus.

"A student may bring a toy gun or a pocket knife or leave something in his pocket. I don't think as a district we can afford to send letters home every time like that," said Charlotte-Mecklenburg school spokeswoman Jerri Haigler.

Some parents agreed with the district's decision.

"It didn't affect my child. I don't fear for his safety and if there was a reason for me to be concerned about his safety, then the administration here would have let me know," said parent Shannon Oruska.