A 6-year-old boy has been suspended from school for three days after a school van driver in North Haven found bullets in his backpack Tuesday morning, according to police.
Authorities said the driver heard the boy, who lives in New Haven, tell another student he had bullets in his bag during a school trip. The driver pulled over, checked the boy's backpack and found two 40-caliber bullets.
School administrators and police were notified when the van arrived back at the Mill Road School at 295 Mill Road. Police said the boy did not have a gun with him. School officials confiscated the bullets.
Authorities have been in contact with the state Department of Children and Families to determine why he had the ammunition and the school is reaching out to the boy's parents.
School officials sent a letter home to parents at the end of the school day explaining the incident.
"Please know, that at no time was your child placed in danger; there was no evidence or threat of violence," school Principal Cynthia Ratchelous wrote in the letter. "School officials quickly dealt with the situation and proper authorities were immediately notified."
The school, an Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) facility, serves students in Kindergarten through grade 8.
