EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated.
MANSFIELD — Mansfield police say there was no active threat behind the lockdown of Mansfield Middle School and Mansfield Senior High School Friday morning.
Parents and guardians on the district’s robocall alert system received the following message Friday morning:
“This morning we received a report of a potential safety threat at Mansfield Senior High School and Mansfield Middle school. We immediately locked down the building while local law enforcement investigated. At this time everyone is safe, but both schools will remain in lockdown until the investigation is complete.”
Mansfield Middle School and Mansfield Senior High School share a building at 124 N. Linden Road. At 11:20 a.m., school officials announced the lockdown had been lifted and the school day had resumed.
Asst. Chief Jason Bammann of the Mansfield Police Department told Richland Source that the building went into lockdown after a handgun magazine was discovered on school grounds.
“The school and patrol handled it immediately. Their (Mansfield City’s) protocol is to lock down the school,” he said. “Patrol got there and took possession of (the magazine).”
According to Bammann, a juvenile was identified as the person who brought the magazine on campus. Local law enforcement and the school were working to notify the juvenile’s parents as of 10:56 a.m.
Bammann said law enforcement is still trying to determine the location of the gun and find out why it was brought to school.
“When the investigation is complete, the officers will decide if they need to seek charges,” Bammann said.
A letter from Mansfield City Schools Supt. Stan Jefferson Friday afternoon confirmed that an ammunition clip was secured from a student, but no weapon was found.
Jefferson said the safety and well-being of students and staff is always a top priority for the district.
“We will continue working with Mansfield Police and handle the situation according to applicable state laws and the Mansfield City Schools Student Handbook,” Jefferson said in a 11:20 a.m. update sent out to parents and guardians.
“I want to thank our local law enforcement for their quick action, and our students and staff for following lockdown safety protocols.”
Jefferson later stated in a letter that at the time of the incident, there was no known verbal, written or physical threat toward any student or staff member.
“While that is a small comfort, it did not and does not impact the seriousness with how we are handling this incident,” Jefferson added.
“We will continue working with Mansfield Police and handle the situation according to applicable state laws and the Mansfield City Schools Student Handbook.”
Jefferson went on to assure families that the school’s staff care deeply for students and do all they can to keep students safe.
“We have rigorous safety protocols in place, our school administration routinely conducts roundtable exercises with local law enforcement to prepare for unexpected situations at school, students and staff regularly practice school safety drills, and the district maintains open lines of communication with our first responders,” Jefferson wrote.
Jefferson also urged families to talk with their children and encourage them to report any suspicious activity to an adult.
“Please take time to remind your child that they should tell an adult if they hear about the possibility of a threat at or near the school,” he said.
“Saying something when you see something truly makes a difference — and it likely helped prevent today’s incident from escalating.”
Meanwhile, Lexington Supt. Jeremy Secrist clarified that there was no lockdown ongoing in the district.
“We were alerted this morning there is a false report that Lexington Schools was on a lockdown,” Secrist said in an automated message. “There is no truth to that report and all buildings are secure.”
