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The family of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher in Virginia said Thursday that the child grappled with “an acute disability” and that his parents accompanied him in class but did not the week the shooting occurred.

The hospital that had been treating the wounded teacher said that she was released earlier this week.

The statement from the boy's family was released through the office of attorney James S. Ellenson. 

“Our family has always been committed to responsible gun ownership and keeping firearms out of the reach of children," said the family, which was not identified. “The firearm our son accessed was secured.”

The statement did not elaborate further on where the 9mm handgun was kept or what they meant by “secured.”

Ellenson told The Associated Press that the gun was in the mother's closet on a top shelf that was over six feet high. 

Regarding how the child may have gotten access to the gun, Ellenson said: “We don't know.”

Regarding the disability, the family said the boy "was under a care plan at the school that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day.”

The family said the week of the shooting “was the first week when we were not in class with him. We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives.”

The statement did not define the boy's disability. And it did not explain what his “care plan” was and whether it was similar to other plans that serve children with disabilities.

Ellenson said the plan was what is known as an “individualized education program” or IEP, which is provided to students with disabilities under federal law. When asked if the disability was intellectual or behavioral, Ellenson said it was “all of the above."

Federal law requires public schools to make accommodations for students with disabilities and to modify curriculums, if necessary, to serve a student’s educational needs and goals, said Michael J. Kennedy, a professor of special education at the University of Virginia.

About 12% of students in U.S. public schools have what’s known as an "individualized education program," Kennedy said. They require input from parents, teachers, and other staff, such as a school psychologist.