WINCHESTER, Va. (AP) -- A middle school was evacuated Monday after a seventh-grader brought an antique artillery shell to the campus to show his civics class. ``Anytime you see something like that, you never know the shape or condition it's in, if it's a live round or not,'' said Donald Williams, principal at Robert E. Aylor Middle School.
A teacher saw the student with the shell and notified administrators, who evacuated the school and called the fire department. Frederick County Fire and Rescue Capt. Tim Welsh examined the shell and called in Army explosives experts.
Fire and rescue teams removed the detonation device, but didn't open it to see if it could have been live. The student said he opened it Sunday night and there was nothing inside, Welsh said.
The student claimed the shell was used by the Army during World War I, Williams said.
The principal said the student would be disciplined for bringing the item to school, but would not face criminal charges. The shell belonged to a relative of the student, Williams said.
