Three schools in Oregon, Wisconsin, a village 10 miles from Madison, were placed on a “soft lockdown” after rumors of a student bringing a gun to school surfaced Monday morning.
According to the Oregon Police Department, police received information that a student overheard other students talking about a gun they brought to school.
All three schools in the district — Rome Corners Intermediate, as well as Oregon Middle and High schools — were investigated. After looking into the rumors, police concluded that there was no merit to the claim.
According to Oregon School District Superintendent Brian Busler, a soft lockdown is when classes continue as normal, but no students are allowed to enter or leave the building. While “soft lockdown” is a term used by the police, the school district uses the term “hold.”
The investigation concluded around 10 a.m., at which point the lockdown was lifted.
In a press release, the Oregon Police Department encouraged people to alert the police about potentially dangerous situations, but cautioned against giving misleading or false information.
“Providing misleading or false information ties up valuable resources when a true emergency could be happening elsewhere, may unnecessarily cause panic within the community and could even lead to charges against those who provide false information,” the release said.
