Show and tell got a little too exciting at a Hernando elementary school on Thursday.
According to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, a second grader brought a hollowed out hand grenade to Suncoast Elementary School in Spring Hill around 10 a.m. for show and tell.
Deputies and Hernando County Fire Rescue personnel were called to the scene.
It caused quite a scare among parents and students.
“You think the worst of course, and you want to take your kid out right away,” said Maria Mcclean, an aunt of a student. Mcclean says her nephew was shaken up when he heard the news. “He was a little scared, he told me right away, he barely ate,” said Mcclean. “He said someone brought a fake bomb to school.”
Authorities said while in class, the student made some inappropriate statements, prompting concern.
“I don’t think that his parents knew that he took it out of the house,” said Denise Moloney of the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office. “I’m told that it was a souvenir that his mother obtained from her brother.”
Other parents say they also were in shock when they heard an 8-year-old brought a grenade to class.
“It’s scary because what if it wasn’t hallow or what if it was something worse,” said a mother, Shirley Cordero.
“Next time it could be a live grenade, he doesn’t know,” said a grandfather, Todd Power.
The student met with the assistant principal and the grenade was taken away.
However, parents at the school were still upset.
“He didn’t know what it was I’m sure, but for that to be laying around that’s just totally wrong,” said Cordero.
In the end, the scare was just that and no one got hurt.
The district says it has a zero tolerance policy for weapons and it will usually recommend a student to go to an alternative school or be expelled. However because the child is in elementary school he is facing a 10 day suspension.
Deputies gave the grenade back to the parents who promised to keep it locked in a safe for now on.