<p>An 11-year-old girl brought a hand grenade to her class in an Australian school for a 'show and tell' activity today, prompting evacuation of over 500 students and teachers.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Police were called to Hunter Christian School in Sydney after a teacher discovered the girl had brought a "pineapple" hand grenade, a model of weapon used in the World War-II and the Vietnam War.<br /><br />Some 450 students and 60 teachers of the school were evacuated to a park near the school and allowed back after the New South Wales Police Bomb and Rescue Unit declared the school safe.<br /><br />Police said they believed the grenade was inactive but Australian Defence Force personnel took away the device with them to examine it, local media reported.<br /><br />Police Inspector Gerrard Lawson said authorities wanted to reassure parents that all students were safe.<br /><br />"At this time we anticipate an early resolution to this issue but we will await specialist advice as to the safety of moving the item," he said.<br /><br />The girl, who was the year five student, "understood it to be a dummy hand grenade that had been deactivated, there was no firing pin, just the body of the grenade," Principal Boyd Allen told The Newcastle Herald.<br /><br />"We understand it was from a family friend and many years old. It was heavy, but I assume practice grenades would weigh that much too," he said.<br />Allen said the student was not in trouble.<br /><br />"She's bewildered, embarrassed," he said. "I tried to make her aware shes not in trouble. She's a sweet young lady from a lovely family."</p>
<p>An 11-year-old girl brought a hand grenade to her class in an Australian school for a 'show and tell' activity today, prompting evacuation of over 500 students and teachers.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Police were called to Hunter Christian School in Sydney after a teacher discovered the girl had brought a "pineapple" hand grenade, a model of weapon used in the World War-II and the Vietnam War.<br /><br />Some 450 students and 60 teachers of the school were evacuated to a park near the school and allowed back after the New South Wales Police Bomb and Rescue Unit declared the school safe.<br /><br />Police said they believed the grenade was inactive but Australian Defence Force personnel took away the device with them to examine it, local media reported.<br /><br />Police Inspector Gerrard Lawson said authorities wanted to reassure parents that all students were safe.<br /><br />"At this time we anticipate an early resolution to this issue but we will await specialist advice as to the safety of moving the item," he said.<br /><br />The girl, who was the year five student, "understood it to be a dummy hand grenade that had been deactivated, there was no firing pin, just the body of the grenade," Principal Boyd Allen told The Newcastle Herald.<br /><br />"We understand it was from a family friend and many years old. It was heavy, but I assume practice grenades would weigh that much too," he said.<br />Allen said the student was not in trouble.<br /><br />"She's bewildered, embarrassed," he said. "I tried to make her aware shes not in trouble. She's a sweet young lady from a lovely family."</p>