46°
Students and teachers were kept in the classrooms from 8 a.m. to 9:20 a.m. Wednesday morning as authorities searched lockers for weapons and dangerous items, Superintendent James McLaughlin said.
The school went into lockdown mode Tuesday following the Snapchat sent out by a sixth-grader that said: "The sixth grade isn't going to be ready for this," followed by a surprised face, squirt gun and fire emoji, Police Chief Martin McParland told the Daily Record.
An investigation led by the Morris County Prosecutor's Office and local police determined there was no threat after interviewing students Tuesday, but kept the investigation open through Wednesday morning when additional students were found to be involved, McLaughlin said.
Newton's Halsted Middle School was in lock-down mode Tuesday after students reported two suspicious men possibly with a weapon outside. The threats were deemed unfounded and the students were released after an hour and ten minutes.
"Additional information came to light today that caused the concern to be reexamined involving an increased number of students," he said.
"It is important to emphasize that specific lockers were inspected as part of our investigation and that no weapons or dangerous items were present.
Given the recent incidents that occurred in Colorado, and increasing incidents throughout our country, we believed it was important to act swiftly and in cooperation with our local police. We will continue to exercise an over abundance of caution whenever it pertains to the safety of our students whose well-being is our greatest priority."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Morris and receive free news updates.
