ROBBINSDALE, Minn. — A school bus driver is out of a job after he made an unscheduled stop while on his route and instructed a student to pick up something on the side of the road, which turned out to be a gun, Star Tribune reports.

Last Thursday morning, the driver was on his way to Robbinsdale Middle School when he spotted the object. He then told a seventh-grader to exit the bus to see what it was. The item found was a gun, according to the news source, and the driver instructed the student to pick it up and bring it to him.

In a letter to parents on Thursday, John Cook, principal of Robbinsdale Middle School, said that the student did as he was told, and then the bus continued on to the school. The driver then told the bus supervisors at the school about the incident and allegedly stated that he would be taking the weapon to the dispatch office of his employer, Minnesota Transportation Network (MTN).

Cook said that the incident was being investigated by police and MTN.

“I commend this student for being respectful, as we teach our students to follow instructions of adults who are responsible for students’ well-being,” he added. “However, this was not a safe situation, and the district has been working throughout the day with both police and MTN in order to fully address this serious matter.”

Tashitaa Tufaa, supervisor of MTN, told the Star Tribune that the driver is no longer working for the company.

Cook encouraged parents to talk to their children about situations in which they may find themselves that would be considered unsafe, how to become an advocate in such situations and to report unsafe situations to an adult.

Other items related to weapons:

• Md. teen brings gun on bus, to school

• 3 Steps to Weapons Incident Prevention