PLYMOUTH, Minnesota — Plymouth Middle School was placed on lockdown for about 80 minutes Tuesday as administrators investigated a "potential threat inside the building."
In a Facebook post shared just before noon on Oct. 11, the school said students and staff were unharmed and local law enforcement agencies were working with the school on their investigation.
Around 12:20 p.m., a second post confirmed that the lockdown had been lifted and the school day would continue as normal.
"All students and staff are safe. Today’s incident has been investigated by law enforcement and school administration, and the threat was determined to be unfounded," the post said.
"Today was a hard day," interim Principal Todd Goggleye said in a statement. "Incidents like this cause anxiety, fear and stress for students, families, and staff. We have activated our Care and Crisis team, which was at Plymouth Middle School today to help talk with students. Our social workers, school psychologists and counselors will continue to be available to speak with students and staff at school."
Although authorities found there to be no substantiated threat, interim Principal Todd Goggleye wrote a message to students and their families later Tuesday afternoon, saying classes would be canceled Wednesday.
"Please know we didn't make this decision lightly, or because of any continued threat," the letter read. "Instead, it's about the social-emotional wellbeing of the individuals who make up our school community."
Goggleye said school will resume Thursday morning, with continued, additional support staff on hand "to help students feel safe and to make sure they have someone to talk to if needed."
The lockdown started as a precaution after a teacher, Goggleye explained, reported a student possibly had a gun inside a sixth-grade classroom.
After the lockdown was lifted, Goggleye said multiple fights broke out in the eighth-grade wing of the school in a separate incident. Police helped de-escalate that situation, he said.
In a statement to KARE 11 Tuesday afternoon, Plymouth Police said officers were investigating a "reported weapon threat" but didn't locate a weapon after a thorough search. Officers with the department remained at the school throughout the rest of the day.
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