Girard superintendent: Bullet at school likely was an accident

Staff report

Girard

Schools Superintendent David Cappuzzello said Friday that a small-caliber bullet discovered Thursday at Girard Intermediate School likely was brought to school accidentally.

“It went from a code red to OK, let’s think about this,” Cappuzello said of the initial school lockdown.

He said the student, a fourth-grader, and his parents told school administrators the student and his father were at a construction site previously.

The student, Cappuzello said, found old bullets in the basement and placed them in his pocket and forgot about them. On Thursday, the bullet fell from his pants during breakfast at the school.

After the school went into lockdown, the fourth- grader was honest with school officials and Girard police detectives, Cappuzello said.

“Nobody was the threatened,” Cappuzello said. “There was no gun.”

He said the school is still deciding whether there will be any reprimand.

“Everybody has this no-tolerance stance, but you have to use common sense,” he said.

Gregory Bonamase, the intermediate school’s principal, informed parents via a letter sent home with students.

“As principal of Girard Intermediate, I would like to assure you that your child’s safety and welfare was our first concern,” he wrote.