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Chatham Schools Put On Lockdown
UPDATED WITH VIDEO January 10, 5:15 p.m.
A bit of a scare for two Chatham schools today. A bullet was found near Glenwood High School's parking lot, and prompted a lockdown.
Around 9:45, a staff member found the small-caliber bullet near the entrance of the school. The bullet had not been fired, but school administrators still enacted what's called a soft lockdown. That means students were not allowed to leave their classrooms as the building was searched for weapons. The process took just over two hours.
Neighboring Glenwood Elementary School was also put under lockdown because of its proximity to the high school. The Ball-Chatham School District said they were just following protocol.
"Our policies have always been the same, but we are obviously more heightened to anything like any bullet laying around obviously because of the incidents over in Connecticut," the district's Betsy Schroder said.
No weapons were found, and later on, a student came forward to claim the bullet, saying it was dropped on school grounds to avoid taking it into the building.
The district sent a release to our newsroom this afternoon saying it will continue to investigate the incident, and will take appropriate action. You can see the full statement below.
The district said the student in question is fully cooperating with the investigation.
The soft lockdown comes less than a month after a similar scare, where an empty bullet shell was found in a Glenwood Middle School hallway.
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UPDATED January 10, 3:06 p.m.
Statement from the Ball-Chatham School District regarding this morning's lockdown:
"A Glenwood High School student came forth during the search process today and acknowledged ownership of the small-caliber bullet that was found on the high school's grounds. The student, who is cooperating fully with administration and police, has asserted that the bullet was discarded on the grounds to avoid taking it in the building. The Ball-Chatham School District continues to investigate the details of the incident, and will take the appropriate disciplinary action. No further comments can be made due to the investigation, and student confidentiality laws."
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UPDATED January 10, 12:30 p.m.
Officials say the lockdown at Glenwood High School and Glenwood Elementary School in Chatham has ended.
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UPDATED WITH VIDEO January 10, 10:53 a.m.
Glenwood High School and Glenwood Elementary School in Chatham are on soft lockdown this morning after a bullet was found in the high school parking lot.
Facilities and grounds are being searched. Local law enforcement will inform parents once the "all-clear" is given.
