SCHOOL FIGHTS WEAPON REPLICAS.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: BOB GARDINIER Staff writer

BURNT HILLS -- Earlier this year a teacher at the Stevens Elementary School was frightened when a student brought what looked like a grenade to class.

It wasn't a live explosive, but the scare was very real.

Now the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District, like many statewide and in the Capital Region, is saying enough is enough. Under zero-tolerance policies, any student who brings in anything that looks like a weapon -- be it real, a toy, a replica, even a paperweight -- will face disciplinary action.

Area administrators and a national expert said the policies are necessary today because …