AUBURN — An elementary school student has temporarily lost his bus privileges after taking a toy gun on the bus, alarming the bus driver who called police, Superintendent Katy Grondin said.

On Wednesday afternoon as a bus was taking Sherwood Heights Elementary School students home, “the bus driver overhead a student make a comment regarding ‘rifle,’” Grondin said Thursday.

“Of course when he heard that, he pulled over,” she said. The bus was on Drummond Street, close to the next stop. The bus driver called police rather than confront a student who possibly had a gun, Grondin said.

Police found the “rifle” was a Power Ranger toy gun, Grondin said. The student was getting off at the next stop and was not removed from the bus.

“Police spoke to the boy and said he can’t bring that to school,” Grondin said. Police did not take the toy gun from the boy but told him to keep it at home.

Parents at the bus stop who saw police cars initially were worried about what was happening.

Grondin praised the bus driver, saying he took the right action. “Student safety is always first,” she said.

Schools do not allow any toy weapons of any type, “anything that could be perceived as real,” Grondin said. “We tell students, ‘To you it’s a toy, but it’s not appropriate.’”

She added, “Parents need to be mindful to review what might be going in backpacks before school.

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