Schools in Clinton put on lockdown after hoax; FBI joins wider investigation
Schools in Clinton and other communities in Massachusetts were on temporary lockdowns Tuesday morning after receiving threats.
In Clinton, about 10:30 a.m., police received a call of a person near the middle and high school campus who may possibly have a weapon. The schools were put on lockdown while police investigated. The schools were searched. Roads near the campus were detoured, with worried parents waiting for the police OK to pick up their children.
Clinton Elementary School was also put on lockdown.
The lockdown was lifted about 11:30 a.m.
"This was determined to be a hoax," the school said in a notification.
Schools in Chicopee and Duxbury, among other districts in Massachusetts, were also on lockdown at some point Tuesday morning.
In Fitchburg, authorities are monitoring a threat made against the school on social media, according to a Facebook post by the district.
The FBI and state police are assisting local departments with the threats.
"Law enforcement is going to use all available resources to investigate a school threat until we determine whether it is real or not," FBI Boston Division spokeswoman Kristen Setera said in an email Tuesday. "Investigating hoax threats drains law enforcement resources and diverts us from responding to an actual crisis. Hoax threats can shut down schools, cause undue stress and fear to the public, and cost taxpayers a lot of money."
More:Duxbury, Cohasset, Braintree, Hingham hit with hoax school shooter claims: What we know
Call of active shooter with assault rifle and pipe bombs at Clinton High School turns out to be baseless but not before dozens of family members (some terrified) arrive a barricades. Middle and high schools now reopening after lockdowns. @telegramdotcom pic.twitter.com/UP3FXv7MYS
— Allan Jung 🏳️🌈 (@ajungphoto1) February 14, 2023
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Schools in Clinton among those on lockdown in Mass.
