Grenade Brought to Stratford School, Triggers Emergency Response

A World War II school lesson turned all too real at one Stratford school on Friday. 

A Stratford Academy student brought in a “simulator hand grenade” to share with the class, which touched off an emergency response by police and fire crews, said Maureen DiDomenico, who is the school’s principal. 

In a notice sent home to parents, she wrote the grenade was removed from the building. Classrooms that were adjacent to where the grenade was were evacuated to the auditorium. 

The building was placed in “Stay Put,” which means staff and students remained in their class until they were directed it was safe to leave, the principal wrote. 

“The authorities determined that the devise was one used by the Army during simulations, similar in nature to a firecracker,” DiDomenico wrote. “The device was removed from the premises by the proper authorities. Please know that the safety of our students and staff is always of the utmost importance to us.” 

The school is located at 719 Birdseye Street. It's unclear where the student got the grenade from.