Massachusetts’ highest court says that a juvenile judge ruling to continue a case without a finding — meaning dismissal if the person stays out of trouble for a defined period of time — is appropriate even in cases involving firearms offenses in schools.

The order comes after the Suffolk District Attorney’s office appealed just such a ruling in the case of a juvenile found packing a pistol and ammunition in a fanny pack at Dearborn STEM Academy in Roxbury in 2022.

In that case, Boston Police responded one March 2022 morning to the Winthrop Street school, arrested the then-16-year-old boy and took possession of the 9 mm Glock Pistol and six ammunition that school security had already taken off him.

The boy faced delinquency charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded f

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