Massachusetts

Ammunition Found at Norton Middle School

The three bullets, .243 rifle ammunition, were found in a student's locker after a teacher overheard students talking about a trade of bullets for electronics, authorities said

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Three rifle rounds were found in a locker at a middle school in Norton, Massachusetts, Wednesday after a teacher reported overhearing students talking about a bullets-for-electronics trade, police said.

A school in Norton, Massachusetts, was quiet Wednesday night after its winter concert was postponed.

Ammunition was found inside a locker at Norton Middle School, according to police. They say the investigation began around 3:30 p.m., prior to dismissal Wednesday.

A teacher overheard two students talking about a trade that involved bullets for electronic items.

That teacher reported it to administration.

Buses were delayed as the students were searched and interviewed.

Nothing was found then, police say, but a subsequent search of a school locker led to the discovery of three .243 rifle bullets.

A K-9 did a sweep of the building to ensure nothing else was inside, but because the building is so large, the winter concert had to be postponed.

The school said student safety is their highest priority.

"We followed our protocols, addressed it with trained public safety officers and communicated our outcomes to the parents and staff of the entire district," Superintendent Joseph Baeta said in a statement.

No charges have been filed, and it's unclear if the students involved will be punished. The situation remains under investigation.

The teacher overheard the conversation about the trade involving bullets just before dismissal and reported it to the administration, Baeta said. The staff delayed school buses while some students were questioned and searched, but nothing suspicious turned up.

After the school was dismissed, a student's locker was searched and three bullets were found, Baeta said. A subsequent search of the school lasted about an hour but turned up nothing more.

The bullets were .243 rifle ammunition, police said.

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