BOSTON -- A Hinsdale elementary school was evacuated this week after a student brought an inactive hand grenade to class and made a comment about blowing up the school, according to The Berkshire Eagle of Pittsfield.

Students and teachers at the Kittredge Elementary School were evacuated to the nearby town hall at about 8:45 a.m. on Thursday after an adult seized the device from the student.

Members of the state police bomb squad determined the device was an “inoperable training hand grenade” after evaluating it for about 40 minutes, Hinsdale Police Sgt. Nicole Morris told the paper.

"We received a report that a child had brought what appeared to be a real grenade to school," Morris said Friday. "Everything was safe and done by the book.”

In a letter sent home to parents, school officials said that the student did make a comment about blowing up the school, but they said he also said he believed it was show-and-tell day.

"The students and staff were never in danger; however, all precautions were taken to ensure everyone's safety at all times," wrote acting superintendent James Stankiewicz in the letter. Stankiewicz said the device most likely came from an army surplus store.

Police do not plan to charge the child, who is an elementary-school age student, but Morris said the state Department of Children and Families was notified of the incident and the child's identity. His parents were asked to keep the boy home from school for a few days as police evaluate the incident.

School principal Debbie White was attending a county-wide conference on emergency preparedness at Berkshire Community College on Thursday when the school was evacuated, the Berkshire Eagle reported.