Three students were removed from campus after a gun threat locked down South Burlington High School and F. H. Tuttle Middle School on Thursday afternoon, according to police.
The lockdown was triggered after the administration at the middle school “received word that some students were being threatened by other students claiming to be armed,” Superintendent David Young wrote in a note to parents.
The threat was reported around 1:30 p.m. Local and state police responded with heavy presence, many in protective gear.
“There was an incident on the SBHS campus. No one was injured. The school was in lock down, the school is now in a modified locked in,” South Burlington Police posted on Twitter at 2:53 p.m. “The persons involved in the incident are juveniles. All have been accounted for. There is no threat to public or school safety at this time.”
The lockdown was lifted once the schools were determined to be secure.
“Students were asked to remain in their classrooms, and out of an abundance of caution, the high school and middle school remained in secure mode until dismissal which happened at the normal time and after-school activities were able to occur as they normally would,” Young wrote in a follow-up note.
At about 2:45 p.m., staff from VTDigger saw two police cruisers blocking the entrance to the high school and two state police troopers in protective gear, including vests and helmets, carrying long guns exiting the high school building. Several state police cars were parked in a lot across the street.
A parent leaving the scene who did not want to be identified said she heard about the lockdown through her child sending text messages.
Classes are expected to resume Friday.
No other information was available, and police continued to investigate the threat Thursday night, according to South Burlington Police.
Glenn Russell and Jackie O’Brien contributed to this article.
