Lockdown lifted at Midlothian High School after 'unsubstantiated' threat
MIDLOTHIAN, Texas - The all-clear has been given at Midlothian High School in Ellis County after it was placed on lockdown for several hours while police and SWAT officers investigated a possible threat.
School officials said they got a tip about the threat at about 9:30 a.m. The campus was immediately placed on lockdown as a precaution.
Authorities went classroom to classroom, where they searched each room and students' bags. Video from SKY 4 showed officers with shields and weapons jogging into the school.
Just after 2:30 p.m., the school district announced the lockdown had been lifted after authorities gave the all-clear.
Police said two students reported that they saw a girl in a bathroom waving a gun, but it turns out that there was never a threat or a gun.
Police said they didn't find any weapons during their search of the school, and no arrests have been made as of 3 p.m.
Students said they went hours without a bathroom break or anything to eat as they were locked inside their classrooms. After the lockdown was lifted, the school offered a sack lunch for their students.
The school and police didn't give any specific details about the threat, but assured all students and staff are safe.
“While there is no substantiated threat, MPD is ensuring that each and every threat assessment protocol is followed," Midlothian ISD tweeted.
After hearing about the threat, parents immediately rushed to the high school to see their kids.
Groups of parents waited anxiously outside for updates as their kids were on lockdown inside the school.
Frankie and Jeremy Radabaugh’s 15-year-old son was among the students inside.
“He texted shortly after getting to school that they were going on lockdown, he wasn’t sure what was going on, and that he loved me,” Frankie said.
“It makes it reality. I always thought, ‘What would I do? I’d rush into the school and go grab my son,’ but it’s not the case. You can’t do anything, you just kind of feel really helpless,” Jeremy added.
Freshman Micah Carruthers was in class when his teacher told him they were going on lockdown.
“I was worried someone was in the building and we would have to hide or something. After a lot of time had passed, I started calming down,” he recalled.
“At first, people were nervous and scared because they had all these cops rush in their rooms,” student Noah Rodriguez said.
Many parents were communicating with their kids by text.
“She told me via text, ‘I already picked the chair I’ll throw out the window if they start trying to breach the door.’ She knows these things. It’s unfortunate we have to teach our kids things like that,” parent Mark Baker said.
“People with big guns came in and searched all their bags and they were being forced to crouch down in corners and not talk to anybody,” parent Erin Ingram said.
Parents were eventually reunited with their kids as school dismissed just before 3 p.m.
“It’s terrible. It’s like, do we send them back to school after this? I don’t know what to do,” Jeremy Radabaugh said.
Police haven’t said who reported the threat or what it was.
“It’s really nerve wracking. I just want to go get my son,” parent Jeremy Radabaugh said.
School officials said the campus dismissed at the normal time, and buses ran as normal.
The football and volleyball games involving Midlothian High School Friday are still going on as planned. As a precaution, there was an increased police presence both games.
The Grand Prairie Police Department said it also assisted the Midlothian Police Department in their investigation and going room to room.
State troopers in front of the school have been redirecting traffic away from the area. No one was allowed in or out of the building while police are investigating.
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