Parsippany school ordered evacuated
PARSIPPANY -- A first-grader who wanted to share his family vacation souvenir with classmates brought a hand grenade for show-and-tell at the Eastlake School on Thursday, prompting a 30-minute evacuation, authorities said. During snack time, the pupil asked his classroom teacher if he could make a show-and-tell presentation with something he brought from home. When asked what he had to show, the boy told his teacher he had a grenade.
The teacher took the grenade from the first-grader and brought it to the main office, notifying Principal Tena Wright, who ordered an evacuation shortly before 10:30 a.m.
Local police, the Morris County Sheriff's bomb squad, a fire truck and an ambulance all arrived at the school in response. The bomb squad determined that the grenade was inert and seized it for disposal.
"Since the building administrators are not munitions experts, it had to be verified that it was not harmful," Parsippany School District Superintendent Eugene Vasile said.
"We have to put this in context. This was a first-grader -- they're still babies."
Vasile said the district's emergency procedures were followed and the incident was being treated as a learning experience.
"It's unfortunate, but in this day and age we have to take everything seriously," Vasile said. "Years ago, you never would have imagined something like this."
Wright said the student did not understand that it was inappropriate to bring such an item to school, even though his parents had previously forbid him to take it to school.
"He's in the first grade -- it was a cool thing to him," Wright said.
http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/articles/news4-Grenade.htm
PARSIPPANY -- A first-grader who wanted to share his family vacation souvenir with classmates brought a hand grenade for show-and-tell at the Eastlake School on Thursday, prompting a 30-minute evacuation, authorities said. During snack time, the pupil asked his classroom teacher if he could make a show-and-tell presentation with something he brought from home. When asked what he had to show, the boy told his teacher he had a grenade.
The teacher took the grenade from the first-grader and brought it to the main office, notifying Principal Tena Wright, who ordered an evacuation shortly before 10:30 a.m.
Local police, the Morris County Sheriff's bomb squad, a fire truck and an ambulance all arrived at the school in response. The bomb squad determined that the grenade was inert and seized it for disposal.
"Since the building administrators are not munitions experts, it had to be verified that it was not harmful," Parsippany School District Superintendent Eugene Vasile said.
"We have to put this in context. This was a first-grader -- they're still babies."
Vasile said the district's emergency procedures were followed and the incident was being treated as a learning experience.
"It's unfortunate, but in this day and age we have to take everything seriously," Vasile said. "Years ago, you never would have imagined something like this."
Wright said the student did not understand that it was inappropriate to bring such an item to school, even though his parents had previously forbid him to take it to school.
"He's in the first grade -- it was a cool thing to him," Wright said.
http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/articles/news4-Grenade.htm
