QUINCY, MASS. (WHDH) - Bomb-sniffing dogs were called in to search North Quincy High School on Monday after a suspicious device was found in the school library, prompting school officials to dismiss students early.
“This morning when school began, a staff member noticed a canister that is a micro-smoke device that is used in paintball,” Quincy Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Rick DeCristofaro said in a statement.
After making the decision to dismiss the 1,400 students early, school officials asked police and firefighters to search the school. They determined the device wasn’t smoking and had already been used before it was brought into the building.
“There was never any real danger to our staff or our students but it was best to dismiss them because we didn’t know if there were others in the building,” DeCristofaro said.
Authorities are now trying to get to the bottom of what happened.
“We have security cameras, so we’re looking at the students and staff that had been in and out of there. We kind of feel that someone used it left it there inadvertently,” DeCristofaro said.
Parents and students we who spoke to 7News said they agreed with the decision to dismiss early, especially given the horrors that have taken place in so many other schools around the country.
“You’re thinking the worst right away the way schools are handled now,” said parent Jim McAleavey.
Student Mary Kate McAleavey agreed, saying, “Definitely have to think about it twice because it definitely could have been a lot worse. hearing something like that makes you nervous.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)