Long Island teacher opens package expecting art supplies for new school year, only to find a box full of bullets

A teacher at Eastport-South Manor Jr.-Sr. High School reportedly discovered a box of bullets for a gun inside a delivery that was supposed to contain art supplies for the new school year. The incident occurred while the educator was unpacking packages provided by Blick Art Materials.

As reported by the NY Post, teacher found the bullets after noticing an unfamiliar box among the expected art supplies. Inside that box was a smaller container reportedly filled with ammunition, which featured a label indicating it was actually destined for a sports store. Once the teacher realized what was inside, they immediately alerted the authorities. Suffolk County police arrived at the school and took possession of the ammunition.

District superintendent Joseph Steimel sent a statement to parents regarding the situation. “Please be assured that at no time were any students or staff in danger — based on the preliminary investigation, it is clear that this was a severe packaging and shipping error made by the external vendor or distributor,” Steimel said. He also noted that the district plans to contact the supplier to figure out how this happened and to ensure it does not happen again.

Parents are concerned following the incident 

Blick Art Materials is also looking into how their shipment became compromised. A company spokesperson explained that they were informed that an unopened box of ammunition, which was shipped from a company in Louisiana to a sporting goods store in New York, was mistakenly intermingled with one of their shipments to the school. 

The spokesperson clarified that the sporting goods store is not a Blick customer and the ammunition supplier in Louisiana is not a Blick vendor. They emphasized that Blick Art Materials does not sell, store, or package ammunition in its facilities. However, authorities are looking into the matter and we’re expecting them to share more details on how the package arrived at the school later. 

Parents are understandably concerned about the mix-up, and a high turnout is expected at a school board meeting taking place soon. This is reportedly not the first time the school has dealt with a firearm-related incident. In 2023, an off-duty Suffolk County police officer left his gun in a school bathroom during a special board session.