According to Middletown Police a fight at Middletown High School led one male student to say he would go home and return with a gun.
That alleged comment was reported by students to school officials, who immediately informed police who rushed to the school.
Police then closed down the school’s doors, keeping anyone from leaving or coming in, said Middletown Police Major Scott Reeve.
Some school parents rushed to the school and were distraught in the Middletown High School parking lot because they could not enter the building to pick up their children.
Reeve said parents were “very sensitive” about concerns of deadly school violence in the wake of this week’s mass shooting at a Florida High School that left 17 dead.
Once the lockdown was lifted at 1:45 p.m., several parents took their children out of the school and drove off.
School officials said the investigation into the threat is continuing.
INITIAL REPORT
Middletown High School and three elementaries are on lockdowns after students at the high school reported a threat of violence.
There is no active shooter, weapons or injuries reported at any of the schools, though Elizabeth Beadle, spokeswoman for the city schools, said school and police are continuing to investigate the threat.
Beadle declined to detail the nature of the threat made to the four Middletown schools. She said the threat was not made via social media.
The high school is on a “hard lockdown,” which means students and staff are ordered to stay in classrooms and other school areas until released by authorities.
The three Middletown elementaries - Creekview, Wildwood and Mayfield - are on “soft lockdowns,” which allow students and staff to continue their regular school day activities inside the building, but they are prohibited from leaving the school building.
In a alert posted on the Middletown Schools webpage, officials stated “this message is to inform you that at approximately 12:20 PM today, the Middletown High School received a tip that an individual threatened an act of violence against the school. The Middletown High School went on a lock down and Local Law Enforcement officials were notified immediately.”
“We implemented our crisis response plan, which places the highest priority on the health and safety of our staff, students, and community. Everyone responded quickly and followed prescribed police and school safety procedures. We are still on a lock down at this time. We will update with more details.”
This news organization will report more as information becomes available.
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