Ecole Ross Road Elementary students evacuated over 'suspicious device'

A case of “mistaken identity” meant an early end to the school day for students at Ecole Ross Road Elementary on Tuesday.

Students at the North Vancouver elementary school were evacuated for about an hour and an RCMP bomb disposal was called in Tuesday afternoon after a staff member spotted a suspicious-looking device on school grounds.

School administrators called the RCMP and students and staff were evacuated to the school field while experts examined the device to see if it was an explosive.

Luckily it was a case of mistaken identity, said Staff Sgt. Peter DeVries, spokesman for the North Vancouver RCMP.

The device was actually a partially disassembled mechanical device that is used in auto repair.

DeVries said it’s not known why the device was on school grounds, but added it’s better to err on the side of caution.

Parents were told to come and pick up their children for the day, and police declared the school safe for re-entry by 4:15 p.m.