EDUCATION Civil War lesson ends in shooting

The teacher fired the rifle during a demonstration for his social studies class.
KETTERING (AP) -- A middle school teacher giving an outdoor lesson about the Civil War loaded a rifle and accidentally shot off one round in front of his class, officials said.
Thomas Saylor, a seventh-grade social studies teacher, jammed black powder into the barrel of a muzzleloading .50-caliber rifle and squeezed the trigger, apparently not knowing the weapon was loaded, police said. A round shot nearly 600 feet across a field and pierced a construction trailer near the football stadium stands at Van Buren Middle School on Friday, police said.
No one was injured, but police in the Dayton suburb were investigating whether any charges should be filed, said Larry Warren, spokesman for the Kettering police.
The school district said it was cooperating in the investigation.
Saylor was trying to show about 30 pupils how battles have changed since the Civil War and "how much time it took for a soldier to load and fire off three shots," Superintendent Robert Mengerink said.
The teacher didn't know he had fired a live round until the police came to the school after a construction worker reported about noon that his trailer had been shot, school and police officials said. The camouflage-colored rifle with a scope was described as a modern muzzleloader that is popular for hunting deer.
Gun protocol
Pupils and staff can't have firearms in school, though there are some exceptions for demonstrations or instruction, said Ken Lackey, director of business services for the school district. In those cases, the teacher needs to get permission from the school board and superintendent to bring the gun to school, but live ammunition shouldn't be used, said J.C. Benton, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Education.
The district believes the teacher thought he had permission to have the gun in school, but it "did not come through central office," Mengerink said.
Saylor continued teaching his classes after the shot was fired and the school did not make him available to comment.
The district is investigating but does not anticipate taking disciplinary action against Saylor at this time, said Mengerink. He said Saylor was "an excellent teacher who was trying to do a good thing."
Administrators sent home a letter with pupils to inform parents that their children were never in danger.
"Every safety precaution was taken for the demonstration and students observed the activity from a distance behind the musket," the letter read.