Lower Pottsgrove >> Police were called to Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School Monday morning after receiving a report that a student brought a hand grenade to school.
It ultimately turned out that the grenade was inert, but not before the county bomb squad was called and the second floor of the school was evacuated.
The device was seen by several students and the classroom teacher, who reported the incident to the principal, according to the press release from the Lower Pottsgrove Police Department.
Students and staff were moved to the cafeteria and gymnasium in the lower level of the school as a precaution, and school buses were notified in case an evacuation was needed.
The device was inside a closed backpack, and based on the witness’s information, the device looked like a hand grenade, police said.
The Montgomery County Bomb Squad was notified by police and the squad arrived at 9:45 a.m. Upon examination of the device, the bomb squad found it was a hand grenade that is routinely sold at gun shows.
It was not a danger to any students or staff at any time because it was inert, according to police.
The all clear was given at 9:55 a.m. and students were allowed back to their classrooms.
Since the device was inert, there was never any danger to any students or staff, according to the press release.
No further information will be released about the student or the investigation until it is complete, according to police.
Outside the school Monday afternoon, parents waiting to pick up their children seemed to take the incident in stride.
A father waiting in his car to pick up his third grader, who declined to give his name, said he wife received an email from the school and notified him immediately.
“The procedure was pretty quick and although it now seems like a bit of an over-reaction, you can’t take chances with safety,” he said.
A grandmother waiting in her car, who also declined to give her name, said a reporter’s question was the first she was hearing about it.
“But I’m sure the fifth grader will tell me all about it,” she said with a laugh.
School Principal Yolanda Williams said there were no subsequent issues with students being upset.
“The staff, the kids, the buses, everybody did an amazing job,” she said.
Mercury staff writer Evan Brandt contributed to this report.
