A Mack Benn Elementary School third-grader caught with a knife at school Thursday may be expelled.

School officials discovered a small knife tucked inside the 10-year-old boy’s sock, said Lt. Debbie George, spokeswoman for the Suffolk Police Department. A student who saw the child handling the knife alerted teachers to the situation.

&uot;The knife was never used in a threatening manner,&uot; said Bethanne Bradshaw, spokeswoman for Suffolk Public Schools.

Police did not file any charges in the incident, George said.

The child has been suspended and per school policy, will be recommended for expulsion, said Bradshaw.

School divisions across Hampton Roads are grappling with increased incidents of violence and the discovery of weapons in the hands of juveniles. Earlier this month, police responded to a brawl involving a razor blade at Lakeland High School in Suffolk.

allison.williams@suffolknewsherald.com