GOLD BAR — School officials quickly confiscated a dummy hand grenade Monday that a boy had planned to bring to Gold Bar Elementary School to show his friends.
A bus driver found out about the inert grenade and called principal Shawn Ryan, school district Superintendent Dan Chaplik said Monday.
The principal called police and met the bus before it arrived on school grounds, Chaplik said. The principal then took the grenade to a field across the street as a safety measure.
Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies were summoned to the school about 8:50 a.m., sheriff’s spokeswoman Shari Ireton said.
The grenade did not contain explosives, she said. It was turned over to the Washington State Patrol explosives unit for disposal.
School officials still were investigating the incident on Monday afternoon, Chaplik said. They hadn’t decided if or how the boy might be disciplined. His age was not immediately available.
The principal went to the boy’s home on Monday to speak with his family, Chaplik said.
“They’re going to work through that in a way that’s appropriate,” he said.
They believe the boy’s father bought him the grenade at a gun show this weekend at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, Chaplik said.
The boy wanted to show the grenade to his friends, Chaplik said. School officials don’t believe the boy had any violent intentions.
The school didn’t go into lockdown because the issue was handled away from the buildings, Chaplik said.
He credited the bus driver and principal for their quick actions and communication.
“I think everybody involved did a really good job,” he said.
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