Montana school district cancels classes during search for armed student

HARDIN, Mont. – The Hardin School District canceled classes on Friday while law enforcement officers searched for a teen who reportedly threatened a fellow student with a gun to steal his lunch money.

School officials learned of the attempted theft on Jan. 26. They said they questioned the student and removed him from school, but did not find a gun.

Court records say another student found the gun later that day and gave it to teacher Nora Block. The Billings Gazette reported Block did not immediately turn the gun over to school officials and is charged with evidence tampering and obstructing justice.

The school district’s Facebook page says school officials canceled Friday’s classes “due to new information” about the student being sought for attempted robbery and having a gun in a school building.