NORTH AURORA – A 12-year-old Jewel Middle School student was charged with disorderly conduct after bringing an inoperable hand grenade to school Tuesday morning.
About 9:11 a.m., North Aurora police went to Jewel Middle School, 1501 Waterford Road, for a report that a student brought a hand grenade into the school. However, the grenade already was deactivated.
"It was 'deactivated' by drilling the powder out (meaning the center was hollow) and thus, would not explode," North Aurora Police Lt. Scott Buziecki said. He did not know why the 12-year-old boy, who is from North Aurora, brought the hand grenade to school.
School staff advised police officers arriving at the school that they were notified by a student that the student brought a bomb to school in his book bag, according to Buziecki. Staff placed the book bag containing the grenade to the rear of the school in a field.
Officers called the Kane County Bomb Unit to the scene, and they determined that the grenade had previously been rendered inoperable.
West Aurora School District spokesman Mike Chapin said the school did not have to be evacuated.
"They evacuated the item rather than the students," Chapin said.
After the incident, Jewel Middle School principal Greg Scalia emailed parents to remind them that bringing look-alike weapons to school is forbidden, Chapin said.
The juvenile will be referred to Juvenile Court Services, Buziecki said.
