"Youngster didn't really know what he had there," the Blairstown Elementary superintendent says.
A New Jersey elementary school student may have accidentally brought a bullet to class on Tuesday, spurring police to search the building.
But students at Blairstown Elementary School were never in any real danger, authorities say.
"(The) youngster didn't really know what he had there," Superintendent Mark Saalfield said Tuesday afternoon, adding: "We take our security seriously."
The bullet fell out of the student's backpack about 11:30 a.m. and was immediately seized by faculty, according to the superintendent and Blairstown Township police. The building was searched and an alert went out to families.
The school was dismissed early as scheduled at 1:30 p.m. ahead of Tuesday's back-to-school night event, which Saalfield said will continue as planned.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.